Contreras conversion to first base has been one of Cardinals’ few highlights
With only nine games remaining on the schedule heading into the weekend, the time for encouraging players to fight through nagging injuries is long past. Willson Contreras on Wednesday became the second St. Louis Cardinals player to officially shut down for the season, moving to the injured list with a strain that the team has identified at various times as affecting both his right shoulder and biceps.
Contreras’ injured list placement was backdated to make him technically eligible to be activated for next weekend’s series in Chicago against his former team, the Cubs. However, manager Oli Marmol on Wednesday dismissed that possibility and declared Contreras out for the season.
“It can get worse if we try to push through it,” Marmol said. “It’s currently a mild strain. It could easily turn into something much worse. And where we’re at at the moment, it doesn’t make sense to try to get him to push through this.”
The fourth-place Cardinals are limping to the finish at five games below .500, but Contreras can hardly be blamed for that record. After a winter in which he was asked about and declined to waive his no-trade clause, while simultaneously being moved from catcher to first base, there was some trepidation about how he would handle the switch and whether the team’s defense would suffer.
Instead, Contreras more than held his own as a defender at first, posting a defensive runs saved total of minus-1 and a range factor slightly above league average. His six outs above average were tied for fifth among all qualified first basemen. Two of the four players ahead of him—Atlanta’s Matt Olson and Carlos Santana, who was recently acquired by the Cubs—are former Gold Glove winners.
“He took to it quickly and did a much better job than many might have anticipated,” Marmol said. “I mean, he did a tremendous job over there.”
Even more impressively, Contreras’ offensive production remained steady despite the position change. He hit 20 home runs—the only Cardinal to do so thus far—for the sixth time in his career, and recorded a career-high 80 RBIs. His OPS+ indicates he was 22 percent better than the league average hitter.
For a 33-year-old going through a career transition, Contreras was about as productive as could reasonably be expected. Except for some challenging injury luck in 2024—which, in part, informed the team’s decision to move him from behind the plate—he has more than lived up to his end of the free-agent deal he signed with St. Louis before the 2023 season.
That deal was pursued when the Cardinals were coming off a playoff season and were determined to stay at the top of the standings. In the three seasons since, Contreras has yet to play a playoff game in St. Louis, and it seems unlikely the team will seriously contend during the remaining two guaranteed years of his contract.
Last winter, Contreras was firm in his desire not to be traded and has maintained that stance throughout the season. In his view, he has a responsibility to uphold the tradition and legacy he inherited, and fighting to stay on a competitive team is part of that agreement.
Whether that carries over into the coming months is unclear. With a transition looming in the team’s front office, the people making baseball decisions will no longer be those in charge when Contreras was signed. And after a successful year at first base, in which he more than demonstrated his value both defensively and offensively, it’s possible his stance on staying could soften.
Contreras is a prideful player and person; it would be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve what he has in baseball without that quality. Next season, he will reach 10 years of service time, a meaningful milestone that reflects longevity and success in the game.
It also highlights his age. While Contreras won a World Series in his 2016 rookie season with the Cubs, few players are content with one championship, and he is not among them. If the Cardinals’ path back to contention is longer than he expected or than was suggested when he signed, this offseason’s transition point could serve as a natural exit.
If Contreras has played his last game as a Cardinal—or even if he hasn’t—it’s important to remember that he was thrust repeatedly into difficult situations, and many times kept his head high without excuse or complaint. For all the mistakes the outgoing regime made in player acquisitions, Contreras remains one of their greatest successes.
That may not have unfolded quite as he or the Cardinals anticipated, but it comes with a great deal more credit than might once have been expected. These have not been easy seasons for Contreras in St. Louis, but his three years have exceeded expectations. That is credit he has fully earned.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 11:35 AM.
