After Finger Surgery, Will William Contreras Be Ready to Play for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic?

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brewers fans can finally stop their hand-wringing about the hand of William Contreras, which caused frustration and worry at many points during his slightly underwhelming 2025 season. Contreras was slowed, especially early in the season, by a fracture in the middle finger on his left hand, which didn't heal well because of the daily beating of catching. He wanted badly to be out there, and the Brewers were better for having him, but the gap between how he played and how he's capable of playing caused distress for many onlookers.

The initial report, via MLB.com Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy, suggests Contreras will be barred from baseball activities for 5-6 weeks, but that he should be a full go for spring training.

There is a difference, though, between being ready to put on the uniform and get to work come mid-February and being ready for high-level competition by early March. It sounds like Contreras will meet both thresholds, but how well could determine whether he's a part of Team Venezuela at next spring's World Baseball Classic.

In 2023, Contreras had only partially announced himself as a good big-league catcher. He didn't crack the roster for his native nation in that year's WBC. Salvador Perez, Omar Narváez and Robinson Chirinos split the time at catcher for that edition of the Venezuelan side, and Miguel Cabrera and Gleyber Torres divided the time at designated hitter. Three years later, though, Contreras has emerged as a legitimate star. Perez is very much still around, but he's gotten old between then and now. Narváez and Chirinos are no longer considerations for the team, which will have ambitions of winning the tournament after finishing fifth in 2023. Though clearly one of the four biggest baseball powerhouses in the world (along with the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Japan), Venezuela has never finished higher than fourth in the tournament, and they only placed that well in 2009.

There are other young catchers who will vie for playing time on next year's version of the team. Omar's cousin, the Red Sox's Carlos Narváez, had a strong rookie season in 2025. Freddy Fermin emerged from Perez's shadow in Kansas City and was traded to the Padres in July, where he burnished his reputation as an elite defender and a clutch hitter on a bigger stage. Pedro Pagés of the Cardinals is very good behind the plate, but not nearly as good a hitter as Narváez or (especially) Contreras. If the Brewers' backstop is healthy and willing, he'll be the team's first choice to play catcher for them as they try to announce themselves more forcefully on the international landscape.

The scope of that opportunity for Contreras, personally, is not to be underestimated. The last two WBCs have been star-making events, and any player offered the chance to play is likely to be interested in doing so. Contreras and Jackson Chourio could see their celebrity magnified if they lead an always-loaded Team Venezuela deeper into the tournament than they've gotten in the past, and the Brewers are unlikely to bar them from participating. If Contreras recovers as well as expected from the operation he underwent, he could be spending a good chunk of spring training somewhere other than Maryvale—and that would probably be a good thing.

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[Robert The Bruce]

Brewers do what they do with players under their control, both pre-arb and arb.  Some players, like Prince Fielder and Corbin Burnes, take it personally.  I don't blame them...other teams do not operate this way.  I certainly think Contreras is worthy of a multi-year deal that spans past his arby years of 2026 and 2027.  I get that a possible lockout in 2027 clouds his chances for an extension in the minds of owners.  I don't expect the Brewers to show us their hand in that regard.  I wouldn't be surprised to see William remain effective as a catcher through 2029 or beyond.  Sign him up!

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 hour ago, Robert The Bruce said:

Brewers do what they do with players under their control, both pre-arb and arb.  Some players, like Prince Fielder and Corbin Burnes, take it personally.  I don't blame them...other teams do not operate this way.  I certainly think Contreras is worthy of a multi-year deal that spans past his arby years of 2026 and 2027.  I get that a possible lockout in 2027 clouds his chances for an extension in the minds of owners.  I don't expect the Brewers to show us their hand in that regard.  I wouldn't be surprised to see William remain effective as a catcher through 2029 or beyond.  Sign him up!

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