William

Contreras

No surprise here after Ohtani wrapped up his sublime Dodgers debut with a stratospheric 1.036 OPS to go along with 54 homers, 59 steals and 130 RBI over 159 games. The other interesting note here is Jackson Merrill becoming just the 16th rookie ever to take home the honor since 1980. Here are the rest of the National League winners: William Contreras (C), Bryce Harper (1B), Ketel Marte (2B), Manny Machado (3B), Francisco Lindor (SS), Jackson Merrill (OF), Jurickson Profar (OF), Teoscar Hernández (OF), Shohei Ohtani (DH) and Mookie Betts (UTIL).

Contreras has a slight knee issue and was out running on the field before the game. He’ll be the DH with Gary Sanchez behind the dish for Milwaukee on Thursday.

Contreras missed Saturday as he deals with issues in his finger and hip, but he’s back in the lineup for the series finale against the Diamondbacks as the designated hitter. He should return to catching in the coming days.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters Saturday that the issue has been bugging the backstop for a bit, and called it an “annoying” injury for the 26-year-old. It sounds like Contreras might not be back Sunday either, and it makes sense for a team that’s already clinched the division to give their star catcher a couple days off.

Contreras swatted a two-run shot off Zac Gallen in the fifth inning, and it was one of three homers the Brew Crew picked up off Gallen. The 26-year-old backstop also singled thrice to increase his batting average to .284. Even with his ugly June (.535 OPS), Contreras has been as good as any backstop in the sport in 2024.

Contreras was a big part of the offensive barrage for the Brewers Saturday night in a game where they homered four times, picked up 15 hits and scored 15 runs. On top of the two-run blast — his 22nd of the season — he also hit a sac fly in the first and doubled home a run in the fourth; bringing his RBI total to 88. He has a decent — if a bit unlikely — chance to reach the 100-RBI club with more games like today over the final two-plus weeks.

Contreras’ home run was his 21st of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Ty Blach in the third inning. Conteras has four home runs and eight RBI in his last 11 games. He’s hitting .278 with an .823 OPS and 82 RBI on the year.

OK, so the homer tonight came off Luke Maile, as the Brewers scored 10 runs to turn the game into a route in the ninth. Still, Contreras needs some bonus stats if he’s going to get people to take him seriously in the MVP race. He’s seventh in the NL with an .837 OPS and tied for third in plate appearances, which is remarkable for a guy who catches most of the time. The two homers today gave him 20 for the year.

Contreras singled home a run in the fourth to give the Brew Crew a 6-0 lead. The 26-year-old backstop’s stolen base gives him six on the season, and the RBI is the 77th.

Contreras crushed his long ball an estimated 435 feet at 112.3 MPH off the bat to put an exclamation point on the Brewers’ five-run fifth inning. It would chase Kyle Harrison from the game and wind up sending Milwaukee to the victory. Contreras went through a major power outage this summer, but this homer was his seventh in August as he looks primed for the last month of the season.