Cubs catching prospect Willson Contreras debuted in style on Sunday night, smacking a two-run home run in his first career major league plate appearance. The 24-year-old pinch-hit for pitcher Kyle Hendricks in the sixth inning, sending a first-pitch change-up from Pirates reliever A.J. Schugel over the fence in center field at Wrigley Field. The blast improved the Cubs’ lead to 6-1. They would eventually win 10-5.
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Contreras was batting a blistering .350/.439/.591 with nine home runs and 43 RBI with Triple-A Iowa prior to his promotion. He entered Friday’s game against the Pirates in the ninth inning but didn’t come to plate, catching reliever Justin Grimm for the five plate appearances it took to close out a 6-0 victory.
Contreras is considered the Cubs’ second-best prospect and the 45th-best overall prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.