The Boston Red Sox secured a 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night in the series opener at Dodger Stadium.
The game took a scary turn when Red Sox slugger and All-Star Willson Contreras took a pitch directly off his helmet.
Contreras entered concussion protocol, and while early reports have been encouraging, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy still made a notable lineup change.
Red Sox Announce Contreras Change
Contreras will not be in the lineup for Game 2 of the series. Instead, Nick Sogard will start at first base in his place.
The rest of the infield will feature Anthony Seigler at second base, Andruw Monasterio at shortstop, and Caleb Durbin at third base.
Red Sox 8/1
A. Seigler 2B
C. Rafaela CF
W. Abreu RF
C. Durbin 3B
M. Yoshida DH
N. Sogard 1B
A. Monasterio SS
J. Duran LF
C. Wong CP. Tolle SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 1, 2026
Contreras’ 2026 Season
Contreras has been one of the few Red Sox players to perform at a high level throughout the season. While Boston has caught fire over the last month, Contreras remains on pace for a career year.
He earned his fourth All-Star selection, competed in the Home Run Derby, and has recorded 101 hits, 23 home runs, and 67 RBIs while slashing .288/.547/.943 across 102 games.
Red Sox Right Now
The Red Sox have been the hottest team in baseball over the last month. They went 21-4 in July, posting the best full-month record in franchise history.
At one point, Boston won 16 straight games and climbed from more than 10 games below .500 to 58-51 entering Saturday night, putting itself firmly back in the American League playoff race.
If the season ended today, the Red Sox would claim the second of the three American League Wild Card spots and travel to the Bronx for a best-of-three series against the New York Yankees.
Boston Red Sox Announce Willson Contreras Decision During Dodgers Series