MINNEAPOLIS — St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras is headed to the injured list for the second time this season after he broke a finger when he was hit by a pitch in Saturday’s 6-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Contreras was leading off the fourth inning when Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez came up and in. Contreras couldn’t get out of the way as the ball struck his right hand.
He was serving as the Cardinals’ designated hitter, so he stayed in the game to run the bases and see if the pain and swelling would go down, but he was replaced by pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter in the sixth.
“We took a blow today,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “It’s been a tough year. He’s been beat up quite a bit. He’s fought through a lot of it. He’s played with some pain.”
Marmol said Ivan Herrera would be recalled from Triple-A Memphis to share catching duties with Pedro Pages while Contreras recuperates.
Contreras is in his second season with the Cardinals after playing the first seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs. He missed six weeks earlier this season after fracturing his left forearm in a game on May 7.