Cubs' Willson Contreras: Reaches 100 career home runs
Rotowire
Contreras went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Monday's win over the Pirates.
Batting first for the Cubs, Contreras started the game with a double before later popping a grand slam in the same inning, and Chicago didn't look back in the 9-0 romp. It was just the 10th time since 1901 that a leadoff hitter recorded a grand slam in the first inning, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. The home run, which also happened to be the 100th of Contreras' career, was his fifth of the season and third in his past nine games, so he seems to be finding his power stroke. The catcher also has a strong .283 average and .906 OPS, and he should remain one of the top options at his position so long as he stays healthy.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Goes deep in victory
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Contreras went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, three runs and a walk in the victory over the Padres on Wednesday.
Contreras launched a solo shot off Nick Martinez in the first inning and later singled and walked, coming around to score in both instances. He now has four long balls on the season and two in his last five games. The catcher has notched four multi-hit performances in his last five contests, raising his average from .227 to a team-best .304 over that stretch. Contreras continues to operate as one of the best fantasy catchers in 2022, also contributing a .935 OPS with 10 RBI and 19 runs over 92 at-bats in 25 games this year.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Goes deep, scores three times
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Contreras went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and three runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Padres.
Contreras has heated up this month, as he's now batting .458 in May with two home runs, three RBI and six runs scored. For the season, he's up to a robust .935 OPS with four total home runs, as he's been the Cubs' best offensive player. The Chicago catcher should remain a strong fantasy asset as long as he stays healthy.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Stays hot Monday
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Contreras went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Monday's win over the Padres.
All three hits were singles, but fantasy managers aren't complaining about the recent hot stretch by Contreras. He's gone 9-for-21 over his last six games, which has raised his batting average for the year to .279. If that holds up, it would be the highest mark for the catcher since he batted .282 during his 2016 rookie season.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Reaches twice in loss
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Contreras went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Dodgers.
The Cubs are scuffling at just 9-18, but Contreras has played well lately, going 6-for-17 across his last five games with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. He should remain a solid fantasy catcher, though run-producing opportunities may be somewhat limited moving forward if the team continues to struggle as a whole. As it stands, Contreras looks like Chicago's most proven offensive commodity at the moment.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Records triple, home run in loss
Rotowire
Contreras went 3-for-4 with a triple, a solo home run and two runs scored in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Dodgers.
Contreras was an effective leadoff hitter in Saturday's nightcap but the Cubs still fell 6-2 as they dropped both games in the doubleheader. Despite his team's struggles, the Chicago catcher is playing pretty well with an .820 OPS and three home runs across 20 games. Contreras could be a trade candidate if the Cubs continue to fall out of contention, as he's in the last year of his contract.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Batting first in Game 1
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Contreras is starting at catcher and batting first in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Dodgers.
The Cubs are struggling at just 9-15, so manager David Ross will mix things up and bat Contreras leadoff for the first time this season. The catcher did bat first 34 times last year, so he has some experience in the role. Contreras has a .236/.337/.403 slash line so far in 2022.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Contreras (undisclosed) is starting Wednesday against the White Sox.
Contreras missed the last two games with an unspecified injury but will start behind the plate and bat fourth Wednesday. Over the three games prior to his absence, he went 2-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Day-to-day with undisclosed injury
Rotowire
Contreras is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury but is available off the bench, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Manager David Ross mentioned Contreras' injury as the reason for his second consecutive absence Tuesday but declined to specify exactly what was wrong, citing "competitive" reasons. Yan Gomes will start behind the plate Tuesday, but the fact that Contreras is available off the bench suggests that he could be back in the lineup soon.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Day off Tuesday
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Contreras will sit Tuesday against the White Sox.
Contreras sits for the second straight game. It's possible he's dealing with a minor injury or illness, as his .250/.354/.426 slash line doesn't suggest he deserves to lose playing time. Yan Gomes remains the starter behind the plate.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Takes seat Sunday
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Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.
Contreras will head to the bench after starting the past nine games, and he hit .273/.385/.364 with three doubles, six walks, four RBI and six runs during that stretch. Yan Gomes will take over behind the plate in Sunday's series finale at Milwaukee.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Leads team to easy win
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Contreras went 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, three runs scored and three RBI in Saturday's win over the Pirates.
Contreras was one of the engines in Chicago's easy 21-0 win Saturday. The catcher came into the contest with only three RBI this season, though he managed to double that number. He also pushed his OPS to .848, which would be the highest for Contreras since he recorded an .888 OPS back in 2019.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Reaches twice, scores in loss
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Contreras went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Thursday's loss to the Pirates.
Chicago mustered only four hits and three runs, making Contreras arguably their most effective hitter on the night. The catcher is now batting .237 this season, which was his final average last year , though his .815 OPS is a bit ahead of his .778 mark from 2021. Fantasy managers look to Contreras for some pop, as he supplied 21 home runs a season ago and a career-best 24 back in 2019. He has two long balls through 10 games this season.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Takes seat Wednesday
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Contreras isn't starting Wednesday against the Rays.
Contreras drew starts in the last five games and hit .182 with a homer, two doubles, two runs and two RBI. Yan Gomes will start behind the dish and bat eighth Wednesday.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Collects three hits Friday
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Contreras went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's loss to the Rockies.
Contreras got a breather for Thursday's series opener, but he quickly took advantage of Coors Field on Friday. The Chicago catcher is off to a nice start, batting .389 with a 1.222 OPS through five games. He's only driven in two runs across those contests, but if Contreras keeps hitting like this, the counting stats should follow.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Getting breather
Rotowire
Contreras is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.
He'll sit for the second time in six games this season while Yan Gomes gets a turn behind the plate. Contreras turned in his best game of the season in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates, hitting a thunderous solo home run while coming around to score the Cubs' other run of the day after reaching base on a double.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Goes deep in loss
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Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two runs in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates.
Contreras opened the scoring in the contest, taking the Pirates starter Zach Thompson deep for a solo shot in the top of the first inning. He later ripped a ground-rule double off Thompson, narrowly missing an opportunity to leg out a three-bagger. The multi-hit effort was Contreras' first of the season as he added his first couple extra-base knocks of the 2022 campaign as well. Contreras continues to represent an elite fantasy option at the shallow catcher position.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Reaches three times in win
Rotowire
Contreras went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk and a hit-by-pitch in a 9-0 win Saturday over the Brewers.
Contreras walked and scored in the first and singled and scored in the sixth. The two-time All-Star was plunked on a 3-0 pitch by Brandon Woodruff in the fourth, the second consecutive game he's been hit by a Milwaukee pitcher. Barring a surprise extension, the 30-year-old is expected to reach free agency for the first time following the season. Since making his debut in 2016, Contreras has been one of the best catchers in baseball and he will likely receive a healthy payday if he puts up numbers similar to his career .806 OPS this year.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Not in Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus Milwaukee.
Contreras started behind the plate the first two games of the season and will take the day off in the series finale against the Brewers. Yan Gomes will catch for Marcus Stroman on Sunday as both veterans make their debut in Chicago.
