Willson Contreras's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

The St. Louis Cardinals officially activated catcher Willson Contreras (forearm) from the 10-day injured list on Monday and optioned catcher Nick Raposo to Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. The team also activated right-hander Nick Robertson (elbow) from the 15-day IL and optioned him to Memphis. Contreras will draw right back into the starting lineup at catcher and will bat third on Monday against the visiting Atlanta Braves and rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach. The 32-year-old has made it back well before his projected timetable after fracturing his left forearm in early May, which has to make the Cardinals and fantasy managers ecstatic. Contreras will return to starting catching duties in St. Louis, but he may be eased back in with rookie Pedro Pages serving as his backup since Ivan Herrera (back) is on the IL.

All signs are pointing to St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (forearm) being activated from the injured list and returning to the starting lineup ahead of Monday's series opener against the visiting Atlanta Braves. Contreras fractured his forearm on May 7 and was originally slated to return by the All-Star break. Instead, he could rejoin the team weeks ahead of his projected timetable. He went 1-for-5 in his sixth minor-league rehab game for Triple-A Memphis, and his true testing point was catching back-to-back games, which he did on Friday and Saturday. He came out of those games fine and escaped a scar on Saturday when he was involved in a collision at home plate. With Ivan Herrera (back) also on the IL, rookie Pedro Pages is likely to stick around as Contreras' backup moving forward.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (forearm) arrived in the clubhouse ahead of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox without a cast. Contreras is doing conditioning work, and he is hopeful that doctors will soon let him swing a bat with his right hand. It's a pretty remarkable turnaround for Contreras, who fractured his left forearm on May 7, and he noted that he's hopeful of returning to the Cardinals before the All-Star break in mid-July. In 31 games before going down, the 32-year-old star backstop was slashing .280/.398/.551 with six home runs, 11 doubles, 12 RBI, and two stolen bases across 128 plate appearances as St. Louis' primary backstop, and he should be stashed in the majority of fantasy leagues. Backup Ivan Herrera is worth a look in two-catcher settings for now, batting .448 (13-for-29) with five RBI during his current eight-game hitting streak.