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KANSAS CITY — When the Cardinals bumped shortstop Masyn Winn up in their batting order and into the No. 2 spot as the regular season rolled into May, the move was made with the thought Winn could provide “a little bit of a jolt when he’s up top.�

In turn, that decision led the Cardinals to move Willson Contreras, their No. 2 hitter on opening day and their primary batter from that spot through April, to the No. 5 spot in the order.

While the switch has came as Winn’s production has taken lift off, it’s put Contreras in a spot that’s allowed him to climb out of a sluggish start to his season and led him to set a career-best mark.

Since hitting from the No. 5 spot in Game 1 of a road doubleheader against the Reds on April 30, Contreras has batted .352 with a .455 on-base percentage and a .648 slugging percentage in his most recent 16 games — 14 of which have come as his team’s No. 5 hitter. Contreras has four home runs, four doubles, and 17 RBIs in that span. The offensive uptick has boosted him to a .261 batting average and a .770 on-base plus slugging percentage through 44 games after he batted .216 with a .602 OPS in his first 29 games.

“I don’t know what to say about that,� Contreras said on Friday when asked if he feels he’s been pitched differently while batting fifth for the Cardinals. “It feels like I’m seeing the ball well right now. I’m just trying to get a good pitch to hit because I know that early in the season I was chasing a lot. ... But at the same time, I’m just kind of relaxed right now.�

While batting fifth for the Cardinals on Friday in a 10-3 win vs. the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Contreras went 2 for 5 with two doubles and an RBI. His double in the second inning extended his on-base streak to a career-best 27 consecutive games. At the start of Saturday, the streak, which dates back to April 17, was the longest active on-base streak across the majors. Contreras, 33, owns a .344/.443/.563 amid the streak.

“I’ll start with this. This has nothing to do with the quality of his at-bats, but the quality of who he is,� Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said on Saturday when asked what has stood out from Contreras during his turnaround. “He’s the same guy as when he was hitting .100 not too long ago. In the dugout, in the clubhouse, you couldn’t tell that he was struggling. He’s the same guy now that he’s having success and that’s really good to model for some other guys.�

Contreras opened the year in the No. 2 spot after a torrid spring training. He went 22 consecutive at-bats without a hit to begin the season before a double in his 23rd at-bat of the year snapped his skid.

Before the offensive uptick that came as he moved into the heart of the Cardinals’ lineup, the 33-year-old produced a 38.8% hard hit rate in his first 28 games of 2025. He had a .227 batting average and a .409 slugging percentage on sliders while batting .267 when offering at fastballs, per Statcast.

In 16 games since the lineup switch in Cincinnati, Contreras has produced a 62.5% hard hit rate, per Statcast. He’s batted .364 and slugged .455 against fastballs while hitting .313 and slugging .563 on sliders over that period.

Along with placing Winn, who has slashed .340/.444/.642 in 15 games since April 30, in a spot where he could provide a spark atop the Cardinals’ lineup, Marmol said the swap has allowed Contreras “a breather� and kept him in a position where “you can drive in some runs.�

“I think it worked out for both of them,� Marmol said.

The switch has come as Contreras has been able to show his “aggressive� attack at the plate.

“He (Contreras) starts taking scary hacks and that’s where he’s at right now, where he’s just seeing it out of the hand,� Marmol said. “It looks really good. But the stretch he’s been on lately has been pretty impressive.�

Rom scheduled for Class AAA return

Left-hander Drew Rom is scheduled to start for Class AAA Memphis on Sunday, according to Memphis’s game notes. The start would mark Rom’s first in Class AAA or higher since 2023. Rom, 25, missed all of 2024 with left shoulder biceps tendinitis and had his spring paused by discomfort in his left shoulder.

He made three minor league rehab starts with Class Low-A Palm Beach since the start of May. Rom, a former trade deadline acquisition from the Orioles in the Jack Flaherty deal, totaled nine innings and allowed one run for the PB-Cards during the rehab assignment.

Extra bases

The 10 runs the Cardinals produced on Friday marked the first time the Cardinals produced double digit runs in back-to-back games since Sept. 5-6, 2023, against the Braves.

By driving in four runs on Friday, Ivan Herrera became the seventh Cardinal in franchise history to have 18 or more RBIs through his first 13 games of a season. Before Herrera reached the 18-RBI mark through 13 games, Allen Craig (2012) was the most recent Cardinal to do so.

The Royals honored their 2015 World Series-winning club with an on-field ceremony prior to Saturday’s game. Former Cardinals reliever Greg Holland was among the 2015 Royals in attendance for the ceremony.