Sports

Red Sox Get Positive Willson Contreras Update

By Ezra Lombardi Athlon Sports

The Boston Red Sox sorely missed Willson Contreras on Tuesday night for the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Despite out hitting the visiting Phillies seven to five and allowing just two runs, the Red Sox could not muster enough offense to steal a win off of Zack Wheeler. Stand-in first baseman Mickey Gasper provided one hit, but Boston certainly could have used Contreras, who was sidelined for the first game since he was hit by a pitch on Sunday, to break open the scoring at some point throughout the night.

Luckily, the team appears hopeful that his absence won't be an extended one. It was only until Tuesday's lineup card was released that we learned Contreras would miss yesterday's game, and the indication over the weekend was that they were judging his hand injury day-to-day.

Shortly after receiving word that the Contreras would miss the game, footage from the ballpark showed him hitting in BP, taking grounders at first, and working through seemingly routine pregame drills with no signs of favoring his banged-up glove hand.

After the game, interim manager Chad Tracy said that the 34-year-old slugger was not available off the bench as a pinch hitter, which explains why we did not see him enter while the Red Sox were chasing a one-run deficit in the 8th and 9th.

Tracy added, however, that he thinks "we're going to be okay tomorrow," in terms of Contreras's health and availability.

This confirms a post from Ian Browne of MLB.com which reported that Contreras gave a thumbs up when asked if he will play on Wednesday.

If he does suit up, it will be a huge relief for the Red Sox, not just to have one of their best players back in the mix, but to have a seemingly minor injury actually result in a short absence. When Roman Anthony hurt his hand in Detroit over a week ago and returned to Boston to have it looked at by a team specialist, it was played off as a minor tweak, and he wasn't originally placed on the injured list.

But now having missed six straight games, Anthony is still yet to resume baseball activities, and Tracy would not say whether he will be ready to return from the IL when he is eligible on Friday. His next steps are regaining grip strength and hitting in the cage.

Contreras, who leads his club in home runs (8) and RBI (23), seems to have dodged this type of rehab and should slot back into the lineup on Wednesday. Whether we will see him back at first base right away or as a designated hitter to start, his bat will be a huge boost to a Red Sox team that remains starved for offense.

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 7:43 AM.

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