Cardinals' Contreras suffers broken arm after being hit by swing

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (40) is checked on by a trainer after fracturing his left arm during the second inning against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals' Willson Contreras suffers broken arm after being hit by swing

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 5/7/24

Willson Contreras suffered some awful luck on Tuesday night.

The St. Louis Cardinals catcher was hit around his lower left wrist by J.D. Martinez’s bat on a swing during the top of the second inning of St. Louis’ game against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Willson Contreras will leave this game after taking a J.D. Martinez swing to his left arm. pic.twitter.com/mJfiqOBf4t

— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 8, 2024

Contreras was in immediate pain after being hit, and it didn’t take long to find out why.

The Cardinals quickly announced that Contreras had suffered a fractured left arm on the play.

The worst part is this injury is a consequence of a poor coaching decision by the Cardinals. The team has instructed Contreras to move closer to the plate to help pitchers get strike calls on lower pitches. The risk, of course, is that he could get hit by a bat and injured.

In an attempt to help catcher Willson Contreras get more low strikes, the #STLCards have him moved up closer to the plate. However, JD Martinez's bat hit Contreras on the left forearm during his swing.

Contreras is out of the game. He was in obvious pain, yelling out right away. pic.twitter.com/0XCgzBQG0D

— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) May 8, 2024

Contreras had doubled and scored a run prior to being knocked out of the game due to his injury. The veteran catcher has been one of the Cardinals’ best players this season. He entered Tuesday with 10 doubles, six home runs, a .274 average and .931 OPS this season.

This is Contreras’ second season with the Cardinals after previously spending his entire career with the Cubs.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: