Willson Contreras Activated from IL

Willson Contreras has been out since August 11 with a knee injury suffered against Milwaukee, but he’ll be back for Saturday’s game against the Pirates. The catcher has spent the last few days rehabbing with the Iowa Cubs against Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, so there will actually be very little change in the level of competition he faces over the weekend.

At a minor league game and I think this kid could be something. He even hit a homer right after this first pic was taken. pic.twitter.com/09QiL2NJ1Q

— Evan Altman (@DEvanAltman) September 4, 2021

Over the course of three games with the I-Cubs, Contreras went 2-for-11 with two homers, two RBI, three runs, and a walk. His timing appeared to be just a little bit off, but the pop was certainly still there. Even better, he spent most of Thursday’s pregame signing autographs, taking pictures, and talking with kids around the ballpark.

Even though the Cubs have no shot at anything other than regaining a little pride, plugging one of the best offensive catchers in the game into a lineup that has been hanging crooked numbers should be fun.

In order to make room for Contreras on the roster, Keegan Thompson has been placed on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation.