CUBS PUT CONTRERAS ON SHELF
Cubs press on without Contreras, who’s vowing not to return too early
PHOENIX— Cubs catcher Willson Contreras doesn’t know if his hamstring will heal fast enough to put him back in the Cubs’ lineup by the end of September.
But he seemed certain Friday, before the Cubs’ 8- 3 series- opening win against the Arizona Diamondbacks, about having a role to play for this team in October.
“I just hope that my teammates keep doing their job to [ keep] the team in first place,” said Contreras, who was put on the disabled list Friday with a “moderate strain” of his right hamstring. “I feel like we’re going to make the playoffs, and I’ll be here supporting them.
“This team is really special. We don’t give. I’m hoping to be back before the end of the season. If I’m going to be back for the playoffs, that’s going to be a lot better.”
Contreras, who was injured running out a grounder Wednesday in San Francisco, is expected to miss four to six weeks — a timeline that could put him back on the field for the final three series of the year, which includes eight games against the Brewers and Cardinals.
But the high- energy Contreras also said he doesn’t plan to return until he feels sure he can play at his usual “120 percent” level.
“I’m not going to rush anything. I’m going to take my time,” he said. “I just talked to the doctor, and he told me to take it slow because he knows my game and he knows how I like to play.”
Contreras is expected to be limited to playing catch and maybe taking some light swings in the batting cage for the next two weeks as the medical staff waits for him to be pain- free. At that point, he’s expected to begin more rigorous rehab work and have a better idea of when he might return to the lineup.
He said he was able to walk normally by Thursday, and that on Friday he felt “way better.”
Meanwhile, the Cubs, now without their top hitter over the last month, are nursing a one- game division lead. Recently acquired veteran Alex Avila started behind the plate Friday and is expected to get most of the playing time in Contreras’ absence, although manager Joe Maddon said he’s keeping an open mind about giving rookie Victor Caratini more than an occasional start.
Caratini, who debuted in late June, was recalled Friday to fill Contreras’ roster spot.
“We’re going to miss him, but we’ve got a lot of confidence in this lineup, too,” said left fielder and emergency catcher Kyle Schwarber, whose homer to right field leading off the sixth was followed by Avila’s off the batter’s eye in center. “The good thing is that, as a group, if somebody goes down, we always pick him back up.”
Contreras’ ability to neutralize the opponents’ running game is a major loss, especially against the aggressive D- backs this weekend.
Replacing his bat in the cleanup spot, protecting Anthony Rizzo, could be just as challenging. In 31 games batting fourth — most of that in the last six weeks— Contreras was hitting .305 with 13 home runs, 35 RBI and a 1.060 OPS.
“Pretty outstanding,” said Maddon, who had Ben Zobrist batting cleanup Friday. “So there’s a different dynamic for Rizzo to deal with right now. In the past, you’ve seen all the good work that Zo’s capable of doing there, too, so we’ll see.
“Obviously, it’s difficult to not have [ Contreras’] name in the lineup tonight after all the wonderful things he’s done all year, and especially since the All- Star break , what he’s meant to us, even his energy. But the reality is he’s not here right now. In a perverse way, sometimes when that occurs, other people just come to the forefront.”