Cardinals' Contreras exits after taking 102-mph fastball off knee
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras limped off the field after taking a 102-mph fastball to his right knee from right-hander Jordan Hicks during the eighth inning of Thursday's opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Willson Contreras left the game after taking this 102.7 mph Jordan Hicks sinker to the knee. Not great. pic.twitter.com/ZUou4UHXA1
— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) March 30, 2023
The Cardinals announced that Contreras suffered a knee contusion.
Manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that Contreras' X-rays were negative and his MRI came back clean, according to John Denton of MLB.com. However, the team is planning to do more testing.
Contreras was playing his first regular-season game with the Cardinals after signing a five-year, $87.5-million deal in the offseason.
The All-Star backstop replaced Cardinals legend Yadi Molina, who retired at the end of last season following a 19-year career with St. Louis.