Contreras went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's loss to Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

Contreras tried to bring St. Louis back with a two-run shot off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth inning that brought his team within a run, but the comeback attempt ultimately fell short. The long ball was only the second of 2025 for Contreras, who belted 15 homers in just 358 plate appearances last season. The catcher-turned-first-baseman is slashing a paltry .182/.234/.295 on the campaign, but he's been bringing that mark up of late, going 6-for-16 over his past four games.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

Contreras opened up the scoring in the fourth with a two-run blast to left for his first home run of the year. He also matched his extra-base hit season total with two Sunday. Contreras is off to a very slow start with his bat but now has four hits and three RBI in his last two games. For the year, he's hitting .158/.213/.263 with six RBI, six runs and a 2:22 BB:K in 62 plate appearances.

Contreras is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

It's a day off for the slumping Contreras, who is just 5-for-49 with 22 strikeouts in the early going. Alec Burleson is at first base for the Cardinals, and Jordan Walker has moved up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol is weighing the possibility of moving the slumping Contreras down in the batting order, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Conteras has gotten off to a dreadful start this season, going 5-for-49 with 22 strikeouts, and he's done so while mostly batting second for St. Louis. The 32-year-old is a good bet to eventually get going offensively, but it's possible he'll be moved to a lower profile spot in the batting order while he's scuffling. If Marmol wants to continue alternating his lefty and righty hitters, Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn would appear to be the most likely candidates to be elevated to the No. 2 spot, if Contreras is indeed dropped lower in the lineup.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Monday that Contreras is not a candidate to move back to catcher in the wake of the Ivan Herrera (knee) injury, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Contreras will be available as an emergency third catcher, but he is set to remain the team's primary first baseman. Pedro Pages will receive the bulk of the reps at catcher for St. Louis while Herrera is out, and Yohel Pozo has been called up to serve as Pages' understudy.

Contreras is absent from the lineup in Tuesday's game versus the Angels.

EDGE Analysis

Contreras is still looking for his first hit of the season, having gone 0-for-18 with eight strikeouts in the Cardinals' first four games. Alec Burleson will cover first base and Nolan Gorman will be the DH on Tuesday while Contreras regroups.

Contreras reached base in all three of his plate appearances Wednesday versus the Nationals and is now slashing .412/.512/.588 during Grapefruit League play.

EDGE Analysis

Contreras has drawn positive reviews for his defense at first base and if this spring is any indication, a move off catcher could unlock more offense for the 32-year-old. He's expected to see most of his action at first base in 2025 but will also be used some at designated hitter, as he was Wednesday.

Contreras said recently that he added 10-to-12 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Contreras is moving from catcher to first base this season and is less concerned about flexibility, freeing him up to add some bulk over the winter. The 32-year-old said "the ball is jumping a lot better than last year" during his hitting early on in camp. Contreras will remain eligible at catcher in fantasy leagues in 2025 but should play more often and hopefully have a better chance of staying healthy, making him an intriguing selection in draft rooms.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Contreras will be a full-time first baseman and designated hitter next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Mozeliak added that it's unlikely Contreras will do any catching at all in 2025, with Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages set to split duties behind the plate. Contreras has played 11 games at first base in his career, with his last start there coming in 2019. Contreras has slashed a robust .263/.367/.468 with 35 home runs over 209 games in his two seasons in St. Louis, but he's had trouble staying healthy and his defense at catcher has often drawn criticism. The move enhances Contreras' fantasy outlook for 2025 since he should be in the lineup more often, and it also bumps up the playing time projection for Herrera and Pages.

Contreras has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season after having his fractured right middle finger evaluated Monday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Contreras still needs two more weeks of rest before beginning baseball activities, so he will run out of time. On the bright side, he should be healed up in time to have a relatively normal offseason. Contreras will finish the 2024 season having been limited to just 84 games due to injury, although he was productive when on the field with an .848 OPS and 15 home runs. Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera will continue to share catching duties for the Cardinals in the final two weeks.