The Boston Red Sox are in the midst of a nine-game wining streak after their 13-1 hammering of the Athletics at Fenway Park on Friday night, and now they’re getting good news on a player who has been out with a mysterious illness since Wednesday: Willson Contreras was listed as questionable, but now, with the team’s lineup coming out, he is back in his usual first-base spot for Saturday’s game.
Contreras started the Red Sox’s 4-0 win over the White Sox on Wednesday, but left because of an illness, which also sidelined him on Thursday and Friday. Even without their top slugger, Boston managed 25 runs in the two wins. But his presence on Saturday will be clearly welcomed.
Willson Contreras Has Been Red Sox’s Leading Slugger
Contreras is batting .288 on the season with 23 home runs and a .936 OPS, best on the team. His 3.9 WAR is second best among position players, behind Ceddanne Rafaela.
Manager Chad Tracy had said on Friday that Contreras’s fever was coming down, indicating that he might be set for a return. On Saturday, Tim Healey of the Boston Globe reported on Contreras in his notebook, writing:
“Willson Contreras (illness) was out of the lineup for a second game in a row, but he at least was back at Fenway Park, unlike Thursday, when the Sox kept him away to prevent anyone else from getting sick. How was he feeling? ‘A little better,’ he said, adding with a smile: ‘And a little worse.’ A diminished sense of humor was not among his symptoms.”
Red Sox Gamble Has Paid Off
Contreras was something of a controversial signing by the Red Sox this offseason, as most fans had been primed to think that Boston was adding a top-level slugger to play first base–Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso were the two most frequently mentioned names. The Red Sox were outbid on Alonso, who signed with Baltimore for five years, $155 million, and never really had a shot at Schwarber, who stuck in Philadelphia on a five-year, $150 million.
Contreras at five years and $87.5 million was underwhelming by comparison.
But he was an All-Star this year–his best season in the majors at age 34–and while Schwarber’s slugging has been impressive (33 home runs), he also has 172 strikeouts and a WAR of 2.4 this season. Alonso has hit .247 with 23 homers, and his WAR is 2.6.
Willson Contreras Happy With Decision
Now, Contreras has been credited as being a heart-and-soul type of guy for the Red Sox, a team that has needed a certain level of toughness and leadership to overcome the 32-46 start that looked to have sunk the season by late June. Of course, the Red Sox have gone 32-5 since then.
Said Contreras: “It’s been amazing. I’m blessed, to be honest; that’s the way I think. I think I made the right decision to come here and be with these special guys, and this is a special place to be. I know that the Red Sox are not playing the way they are expected to, and the fans expected, and I respect that, but it’s a blessing to be playing here.”
Red Sox Get Good News on Willson Contreras Illness