AROUND THE HORN
Cardinals:
Willson Contreras’ demotion from catching didn’t last very long. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol announced before Saturday’s game against the Red Sox that the 31-year-old Contreras will be back behind the plate on Monday night when the Cardinals open a homestand against the Brewers. “We felt really good about the progress that we’ve made and it lines up really well for him to catch Monday,” Marmol said. Looking to replace Yadier Molina at catcher, the Cards signed the three-time All-Star to an $87.5 million, five-year contract in December, its biggest move of the offseason. But Marmol announced last weekend that Contreras would be taking a break from catching for a while — a move that raised questions about the fit of the free agent acquisition in the first place. The departure of Molina, a nine-time Gold Glove winner who retired after his 19th season with the Cardinals, looms over the team’s losing record. Contreras will be catching right-hander Jack Flaherty on Monday. The last time he started behind the plate was on May 4 for Flaherty, who was tagged for 10 runs in 2
innings. Contreras came in as a defensive replacement the next day. “This is what they wanted,” Marmol said. Now, they’ll be together again — and Contreras will have a chance to fulfill what the team envisioned during the offseason. Contreras has been the designated hitter during his time away from behind the plate. He is batting .263 with three homers and 18 RBIs entering the middle game of the three-game series in Boston.
Twins: The Twins announced Saturday that outfielder Max Kepler was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Outfielder Trevor Larnach was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to take Kepler’s place on the roster. Kepler left Thursday’s game with what was called a cramp. He pinch hit in Friday’s series opener against the Cubs. “We were hoping Kep obviously wouldn’t need to go on the IL,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “He got an MRI and the MRI seems OK. But he’s still pretty tight, and we don’t think he’s going to be able to play for a handful of days.” Kepler is batting .212 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in 28 games this season. In 31 games with the Twins this year, Larnach hit .221 with three homers and 19 RBIs. He was optioned to St. Paul back on May 5. He was in the lineup Saturday for the Twins, batting fifth. Larnach said he was on his way to the Saints stadium in St. Paul when he got a call that he was heading back to the majors, so he instead drove to Target Field in Minneapolis. “(You) roll with the punches, whether you break with the team or you don’t, you get called up, you get called down,” Larnach said before Saturday’s game. “You can’t take it too personally.”
Mariners: Mariners rookie right-hander Bryce Miller shut down the Tigers for seven innings in a 5-0 victory Saturday that pushed the Mariners above .500 for the first time since they won on opening day. “Wow, Bryce Miller continues to roll,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I just am amazed at how calm this young guy really is. He’s under control all the time. Nothing really gets to him. Awesome outing today.”