Contreras went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a 6-2 loss to the Mets in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Contreras started the matinee and went 2-for-5 with an RBI, so he likely wasn't expecting to play in the nightcap. Travis d'Arnaud had to leave Game 2 after suffering a lower leg injury, and Contreras filled in nicely with a ninth-inning solo shot. Across his last nine games, Contreras has gone 9-for-32 (.281) with four long balls, six RBI and six runs scored. He could be in line to start Sunday's series finale if Atlanta opts to take a cautious approach with d'Arnaud.
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Braves' William Contreras: Not starting Thursday
Rotowire
Contreras isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Mets.
Contreras started the last four games and went 4-for-14 with two homers, three runs and three RBI. However, Travis d'Arnaud (illness) will take over behind the plate and bat sixth.
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Braves' William Contreras: Playing time picking up
Rotowire
Contreras will start at catcher and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
Contreras will be making his fourth consecutive start Wednesday, though it comes with the caveat that Travis d'Arnaud isn't available while he recovers from a stomach bug. Even so, Contreras may have already supplanted d'Arnaud as Atlanta's preferred option behind the plate, given their wide gap in performance over the past month. Since July 1, Contreras has supplied an .861 OPS, while d'Arnaud owns a .473 mark over that stretch.
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Braves' William Contreras: Slugs two homers in win
Rotowire
Contreras went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
Contreras went yard in his first two at-bats. He hit a two-run blast in the second inning and a solo shot in the fourth. Entering Saturday, the catcher had gone just 4-for-24 with no extra-base hits in his last seven contests. The powerful display of offense in this game gives Contreras 13 homers, 26 RBI, 26 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases with a .263/.349/.551 slash line through a career-high 189 plate appearances.
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Braves' William Contreras: On bench Monday
Rotowire
Contreras is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Though he was named to the National League's All-Star team Sunday, Contreras remains a part-time player for Atlanta. With Travis d'Arnaud locked in as Atlanta's No. 1 catcher and with Marcell Ozuna secure as the team's everyday designated hitter now that the team is back to full strength in the outfield, Contreras could struggle to receive more than three or four starts during Atlanta's final seven games before the All-Star break.
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Braves' William Contreras: Mashes 11th homer
Rotowire
Contreras went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's win over the Nationals.
His third-inning shot was one of three Atlanta homers off Washington starter Erick Fedde in a 12-2 rout. Contreras has hit safely in six straight starts as he sees fairly consistent playing time between catcher and DH, and on the season the 24-year-old is slashing .266/.350/.568 with 11 homers, two steals, 22 runs and 22 RBI through 42 games.
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Braves' William Contreras: Slugs homer No. 10
Rotowire
Contreras went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals.
Atlanta jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning thanks to long balls by Austin Riley and Contreras. The young backstop snapped a 12-game homer drought with the blast, a stretch during which he slashed just .209/.277/.256; however, on the season, Contreras is batting a solid .267 with 10 home runs and 21 RBI through 40 contests.
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Braves' William Contreras: Idle Tuesday
Rotowire
Contreras is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Even though Ronald Acuna (foot) will miss his second straight game, Contreras will take a seat for the series opener in Philadelphia while manager Brian Snitker hands Mike Ford his first start as a member of Atlanta. While serving as a designated hitter or catcher in four of the past five games, Contreras went 1-for-14 with three walks, a stolen base, one RBI and one run.
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Braves' William Contreras: Seeing steady starts
Rotowire
Contreras will serve as Atlanta's designated hitter and No. 7 batter in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Making his fourth start in five games, Contreras is benefiting Sunday from the absence of star outfielder Ronald Acuna, who is dealing with a right foot injury. Though doctors have ruled out a fracture, Acuna isn't able to put much pressure on the foot and could be headed to the 10-day injured list if he doesn't show meaningful improvement in the next few days. If that's the case, Contreras and Travis d'Arnaud would likely share work behind the plate and at DH over the upcoming week while the team's preferred DH, Marcell Ozuna, would be forced into the outfield as a replacement for Acuna.
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Braves' William Contreras: On bench Monday
Rotowire
Contreras is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.
Contreras made consecutive starts to close out the weekend series with the Cubs, going 2-for-8 with a double between those games. Travis d'Arnaud and Marcell Ozuna will pick up starts at catcher and designated hitter, respectively, in Monday's contest, and Contreras looks like he'll be behind both on the depth chart for the time being. Even so, Contreras should continue to pick up a handful of starts per week while he keeps swinging the bat well.
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Braves' William Contreras: Remains on bench
Rotowire
Contreras will sit for the second straight game Tuesday against the Nationals.
Contreras started five out of six games last week, appearing four times behind the plate and once as the designated hitter. That seemed to suggest he was moving into a more consistent starting role, but it's now been Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate the last two games.
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Braves' William Contreras: Not in Monday's lineup
Rotowire
Contreras isn't starting Monday against the Nationals.
Contreras started in the last three games and went 2-for-10 with a homer, a double, two runs, two walks and three strikeouts. He'll get a breather while Travis d'Arnaud starts behind the plate and bats sixth Monday.
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Braves' William Contreras: Slugs ninth homer
Rotowire
Contreras went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Pirates.
The young backstop continues to push his way into a regular role for Atlanta. Contreras has started eight of 11 games in June, splitting work behind the plate with Travis d'Arnaud while also spotting in at DH, and he's slashed .323/.400/.645 through 35 plate appearances during that time. Through 27 games in the majors this season, Contreras is batting .292 with nine homers, 17 runs and 17 RBI.
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Braves' William Contreras: Starting fourth straight game
Rotowire
Contreras will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Athletics.
Contreras will draw his fourth consecutive start Wednesday, but the last two have come while top backstop Travis d'Arnaud has sat out with a sore forearm. Manager Brian Snitker hasn't suggested that d'Arnaud's injury is anything that will force him to the injured list, so Contreras could soon move into more of a part-time role. With Atlanta dedicated to giving prospect Michael Harris regular run in the outfield, Marcell Ozuna is typically occupying the designated-hitter spots these days, closing off one potential pathway to at-bats for Contreras.
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Braves' William Contreras: Three hits in Wednesday's win
Rotowire
Contreras went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
The 24-year-old backstop continues to make a strong case to keep a regular spot in the Atlanta lineup. Contreras has gone 13-for-33 (.394) over his last 10 games with five doubles, three homers, six runs and seven RBI while bouncing between catcher, DH and even seeing one game in left field. Travis d'Arnaud is batting .188 (6-for-32) over that same stretch without an RBI, so it could be only a matter of time until the veteran's hold on the starting spot behind the plate slips.
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Braves' William Contreras: On bench again Tuesday
Rotowire
Contreras remains on the bench Tuesday against Arizona.
The arrival of Michael Harris may have forced Contreras into a bench role. Harris will start his fourth straight game in center field Tuesday, pushing Adam Duvall to left field. Duvall, Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna should fill the outfield corners and the designated hitter spot most days, though Contreras should still feature occasionally in any of those three spots as well as in a backup catcher role.
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Braves' William Contreras: Sitting Monday
Rotowire
Contreras will be on the bench Monday against the Diamondbacks.
Contreras sits after starting seven straight games, a stretch in which he posted a .991 OPS. He appeared twice at catcher, once in left field and four times as the designated hitter over that stretch, positions which will be filled by Travis d'Arnaud, Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna, respectively, in Monday's contest.
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Braves' William Contreras: Homers, reaches three times in win
Rotowire
Contreras went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and two runs in the win over the Phillies on Wednesday.
Contreras took Ranger Suarez deep for a solo shot in his first at-bat in the bottom of the second frame before later walking twice and coming around to score again. The homer was his seventh of the campaign and third in his last four contests. Over the past four games, the 24-year-old has produced a .462 average with three homers, four RBI and five runs. He's now batting .273 with seven home runs, 11 RBI, 12 runs and a stolen base over 44 at-bats in 13 games in 2022. Contreras has recently transitioned into an everyday role, making him a very intriguing fantasy option at catcher moving forward.
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Braves' William Contreras: Moving into everyday role
Rotowire
Contreras will serve as Atlanta's designated hitter and No. 2 batter in Tuesday's game against the Phillies.
For the second game in a row, the righty-hitting Contreras will stick in the lineup against a right-handed starting pitcher (Kyle Gibson), after he went 2-for-4 with a double and a run while manning left field in Monday's 7-3 loss to Philadelphia. The 24-year-old has now posted an incredible 1.141 OPS through 42 plate appearances with Atlanta this season, and while he's swinging a hot bat, he should see regular starts between left field, DH and catcher. The fact that Contreras has catcher eligibility in most fantasy leagues without having to play behind the plate on a regular basis makes him especially appealing. While he's getting steady at-bats, Contreras looks like a must-roster player in every weekly league that requires two active catchers.
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Braves' William Contreras: Starting in left field
Rotowire
Contreras will bat second and play left field Monday against the Phillies.
Contreras has homered six times in 10 games this season, but he doesn't have a path to a major role behind the plate with Travis d'Arnaud hitting well and under contract through at least the end of next season. Contreras' inclusion in the lineup as an outfielder Monday is a clear sign that Atlanta wants to create as many opportunities for him as possible. He's only appeared in two games in the outfield as a professional, but he's a strong athlete for a catcher and should be able to hold his own.
