Throughout the season, first baseman Willson Contreras has been the emotional heart for the Boston Red Sox. However, he largely hasn’t been able to play in the month of September due to injuries.
He spent time on the IL due to a hamstring injury. That had been bugging him for some time, and the Red Sox wanted him to reset and get healthy for the postseason. He did, but almost as soon as he came back, he was hit in the right hand by a pitch. That forced Contreras to miss about a week and a half before DHing in the final game of the season on Sunday.
Boston Red Sox Manager Chad Tracy on Willson Contreras in the Playoffs
In the end, Willson Contreras had just two at-bats on Sunday. He’d go 0-2 with a strikeout before Jahmai Jones came in to pinch-hit for him.
It was a small sample size, but it was another emotional boost that Contreras could provide the Red Sox. The postseason is here and he’s healthy enough to play. Better than that, after the game, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy confirmed that he should be available for the Wild Card Round in the postseason.
“He was okay,” Tracy said. “Took the first one [at-bat]. Took the second one. Had a pretty good at-bat. Hit the ball hard to third and he was good. So, I got him out of there… Should be [good to go].
Getting hit on the hand is risky, with plenty of smaller bones to break. Luckily, X-Rays showed that Contreras avoided that, and was just dealing with bad swelling that made it hard to swing a bat. He had previously been anxious about his availability for the postseason when describing it as a bone bruise.
“Yeah, there’s no fracture or anything,” Contreras said. “I had a CT scan yesterday just to make sure that I don’t have any fracture, and it didn’t show any fracture. At this point, still inflammation and a bone bruise.”
This comes at a time when the Red Sox have been desperately trying to get healthy. Players like Adley Rutschman and Caleb Durbin are banged up but playing through it. Others, like Ceddanne Rafaela and Curtis Mead, have needed to spend time on the IL.
Now, the Red Sox will turn their attention ahead to the New York Yankees. The American League Wild Card Series will begin on Tuesday, September 29th in the Bronx. First pitch is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.
It’s Been a Career Season for Contreras
The frustrating part of the injuries for Contreras, other than that it could cost him time in the postseason, is that this has been a career season for him. This comes in his first year with the Red Sox as he’s brought a swing made for Fenway Park to Boston.
He’s hitting .276 with a .905 OPS. Contreras also has 27 home runs and 81 RBIs. That’s in a 129 game effort, and amounted to 4.5 WAR, per Baseball Reference.
Statistically, it’s Contreras’ best season. His previous high for WAR was 4.2 back in 2021. Otherwise, he hadn’t cracked that 4.0 WAR mark before. That was also a new single-season high for home runs and RBIs in his career. So, maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that’s a career-record for OPS in a season, too.
The Red Sox need that version of Contreras in the postseason. Without him, they’re going to be looking far and wide for their power in the lineup.
Red Sox Manager Chad Tracy Reveals Willson Contreras Playoff Availability