St. Louis Cardinals fans confused with report that Willson Contreras will return to catching duties on Monday

The St. Louis Cardinals removed Willson Contreras from his catching duties last week and shifted him to DH and the outfield. St. Louis has gotten off to a woeful start and were looking to shake things up.

They've backpedaled on their initial plan with Contreras, as he'll be returning to his catching duties on Monday. He'll catch Jack Flaherty when the Cardinals take on the Milwaukee Brewers.

The player signed a five-year, $87.5 million contract this offseason with the team. Fans were worried when the team announced they'd be moving away from a guy they had just signed in the offseason.

Now, all eyes will be on Contreras as he returns. Any little mistake he makes will be viewed under a magnifying glass.

St. Louis Cardinals fans couldn't have pictured dealing with this when the season started. Fans were certain they found their new long-term backstop when they signed him in the offseason.

This has been a strange week for the Cardinals. Hopefully, Contreras can give his coaches confidence in his abilities on Monday. They can't continue going on, not feeling comfortable with who they have at the backstop.

What is going on with the St. Louis Cardinals?

Nobody could have predicted the St. Louis Cardinals to start this poorly. Going into Saturday, the team is at the bottom of the National League Central with a 14-25 record. They are 7.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who lead the division.

Most around the league had the team picked as the division winners. Why are they struggling so badly?

One reason is their pitching. They have an aging Adam Wainwright who isn't what he once was. They also haven't gotten consistent outings from guys like Jack Flaherty. They have a team ERA of 4.68, with teams hitting .274 against them.

Another reason the team has struggled is that they aren't getting the same pace of play from their All-Stars. Nolan Arenado isn't off to his usual start. He's only got four home runs this year after consecutive seasons of hitting over 30 home runs.

If the Cardinals hope to turn it around, it has to come from their pitching and Arenado, and it needs to happen soon.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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