Cardinals' Contreras fractures finger on HBP, to be placed on IL

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras fractured his middle finger in Saturday's loss to the Minnesota Twins, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told Bally Sports Midwest.

The injury occurred during a fourth-inning at-bat when Twins starting pitcher Pablo López hit Contreras in the hand.

(Video source: MLB.com)

Matt Carpenter pinch hit for Contreras after he exited the game. Contreras was the designated hitter in the lineup Saturday.

"We took a blow today," Marmol said.

He added, "It's been a tough year. He's been beat up quite a bit. He's fought through a lot of it. He's played through some pain."

Contreras will be placed on the injured list Sunday and is without a timetable to return. Catcher Iván Herrera is expected to replace him on the active roster.

The IL stint will be the second of the season for Contreras. The veteran slugger missed nearly two months after an errant backswing fractured his forearm in early May.

The 32-year-old owns a .262/.380/.468 slash line with 15 home runs in his second season with the Cardinals.