The St. Louis Cardinals have dealt with a few issues this season, but none were more strange than when first baseman Willson Contreras was ejected from a game and accidentally hit his own coach with his bat in frustration.
He tossed the bat behind him without looking, and it hit the hitting coach, Bran Brown, who was between Contreras and the umpire. The Cardinals slugger was initially dealt a lengthy six-game suspension, but that number shrank after an appeal.
According to John Denton of MLB.com, Contreras had his suspension shortened to four games after a successful appeal. He will now miss the next four games instead of the next six over his bat-throwing incident in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Contreras Suspended Four Games After Appeal
Contreras' suspension will begin Friday night and will carry over through the weekend series against the San Francisco Giants, and the first game against the Seattle Mariners out in Seattle.
#STLCards 1B Willson Contreras had his MLB suspension reduced from six games to four games following an appeal and he will begin serving it tonight until Sept. 8, per the Cards.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) September 5, 2025
Instead of missing the next two series, he'll miss a full series and the first game of the Mariners series. It's only a two-game difference, but at the end of the day, that's two games that Contreras will be in the lineup for the Cardinals.
The 33-year-old first baseman, who is on a five-year $87.5 million deal through 2027, has been one of the better Cardinals hitters this season. Among batters with at least 100 at-bats, Contraras is ranked third in OPS with a .786.
In 130 games played, Contreras has a .254 batting average with a .338 on-base percentage and a .448 slugging percentage. His 119 OPS+ is a solid mark, but it is slightly below his previous two years in St. Louis.
MORE: Cardinals' Willson Contreras apologized to coach he hit with his bat
This season, Contreras set a career high in hits with 120, doubles with 30, runs with 66, RBIs with 78, and strikeouts with 139. He's had 473 at-bats, only one shy of his previous career high in 2018 with the Chicago Cubs.
Contreras has 20 home runs on the year, four shy of his previous career high. With this suspension for four games, it'll be challenging for the Cardinals' first baseman to create a new benchmark in home runs.
But his overall offensive production has been great this season for St. Louis, and his absence from the lineup will make it difficult to play spoiler against the red-hot Giants.
Contreras is going to miss the next four games for the Cardinals, which will keep the St. Louis slugger out of the lineup against the Giants and the first game of the Mariners series.
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