The Cardinals star is now set to undergo surgery

MLB star Willson Contreras is set for a lengthy period out after suffering a terrifying arm injury.

The St. Louis Cardinals catcher exited Tuesday’s loss against the New York Mets with a fractured forearm.

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras suffered a broken forearm during Tuesday’s game with the NY MetsCredit: Getty

Contreras had inched in to try and gain a small advantage with JD Martinez at the plateCredit: Reuters

His left forearm was struck hard and he will now miss around 6 weeksCredit: AP
In the top of the second inning, with Mets star JD Martinez at bat, Cardinals catcher Contreras adjusted his positioning, moving closer to Martinez to potentially influence lower pitches being called as strikes.

As pitcher Miles Mikolas delivered a slider on the outside part of the plate, Martinez swung forcefully. Unfortunately, his bat made contact with Contreras’s outstretched forearm, eliciting a cry of pain from the St. Louis catcher.

Reacting swiftly, Contreras rolled away, still holding onto his arm, before hurriedly making his way towards the team benches.

“This is the most pain I’ve been through, for sure,” Contreras told reporters postgame, with footage of the play quickly going viral.

“I knew right away it was a bad situation, and then when I got to sit down in the dirt, it was numb.

“I knew it wasn’t right.”

Contreras was immediately removed from the contest with Ivan Herrera taking his place.

He later revealed he would require surgery and will miss around 6 weeks, per ESPN.

“So right now I mean, I’m in pain pretty good, but I’m really upset missing [time],” Contreras added.

“I know that it’s going to be tough for me to watch the games and not out there with the guys, but I’m going to do my best to stay present, pick each other up, and cheer for them because that’s the best thing I can do.”

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol admitted after the game it will be tough to replace Contreras over the next few weeks.

The 31-year-old has been hot with the bat this season, averaging .280 with six homers and 12 RBI.

“It’s a tough one, man,” Marmol said.

Five key MLB rule changes in 2024

1. The pitch clock is reduced from 20 to 18 seconds with runners on base. It will remain at 15 seconds with bases empty.

2. When a pitching change is made, the innings timer will reset to 2:00 rather than 2:15 like it did last year.

3. Teams will only be allowed four mound visits per game in 2024, down from five last season.

4. Fielders and defenders blocking bases will be called for obstruction by referees.

5. The runners’ lane from home plate to first base has been widened to include the dirt between the grass and the white line.

“He’s been doing such a phenomenal job. He’s an extreme competitor.

“He brings so much to the club performance-wise, but also with just his competitive nature, so to see him go down is tough. I feel for him, I really do.

“He was putting together a really nice year and helping us in a lot of ways so it’s a tough one.”

Despite the setback, the Mets found their momentum, rallying from a 3-0 deficit with an explosive six-run fifth inning. Their resilience paid off as they secured a 7-5 victory, while St. Louis saw their record dip to 15-21 on the year.

The teams are set to face each other again today, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:15 PM ET at Busch Stadium.

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