Willson Contreras Injury Update: Cardinals veteran catcher placed on IL, ending his tumultuous season

The St. Louis Cardinals have placed veteran catcher Willson Contreras on the Injured List, ending his 2023 season. He was removed from the lineup with wrist discomfort and the team made the decsion to end his season. There is no need to risk further damaging his wrist and the tail end of what is effectively a lost season.

This has been a season of ups and downs for Contreras, who struggled to find his footing at the start of the season. After catching for the Chicago Cubs for seven years, it is not surprising he needed some thime to adjust. Once he did, he became a consistent offensive and defensive presence for his new team.

Katie Woo of The Athletic confirmed that Contreras' season was over via X, formerly known as Twitter. She also contextualizes the injury issues the Cardinals have dealt with this season.

"Willson Contreras is going on the IL, Oli Marmol confirms, which will end his season. The list of Cardinals that have been healthy and available for every game this season (excluding suspensions) is down to three: Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Miles Mikolas" - Katie Woo

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol made it clear that he and the organization are happy with how Contreras finished the season.

"He finished very strong, and I'm proud of him" - Oli Marmol

This injury could have gotten worse than it currently is, so there is no reason for him to keep playing.

Willson Contreras and the St. Louis Cardinals are starting to turn their focus to 2024

The Cardinals season was among the most disappointing of any MLB team this season. Rivaled only by the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, the Cardinals were expected to be division champions.

Contreras will be returning to the Cardinals next season, and the team will undoubtedly be hoping to hit the ground running.