The Boston Red Sox can’t afford any more setbacks right now, and Sunday afternoon brought yet another moment of concern.
It was already a rough day overall, as Boston dropped its Mother’s Day matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-1. On top of the loss, the injury situation around the roster remains tight. The Red Sox are already missing key pieces like Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony, among others, leaving little margin for further damage. Offensively, the group can hardly afford another absence.
That concern spiked in the first inning when first baseman Willson Contreras was struck on the hand by a pitch during the series finale. He initially stayed in the game to run the bases but was pulled before the start of the second inning as a precaution.
The Red Sox Slugger Had To Leave Early
After the game, interim manager Chad Tracy provided a cautiously optimistic update on Contreras’ condition.
“The quick scans that we do here came back negative, which is good,” Tracy said. “Sore. That’s all we know at this point. We’re just going, obviously have an off day tomorrow, that helps a lot. And we’ll kind of reevaluate tomorrow and the next days and see how he feels. Hopefully, we’re okay there. But we’ll see.”
Despite the injury scare, the early medical results are a relief for Boston. Losing Contreras for any extended period would be a major blow, especially with Anthony already sidelined. In 38 games this season, Contreras is hitting .259/.380/.467 with eight home runs, 23 RBIs, 20 walks, and 19 runs scored.
Beyond his production at the plate, he has also been a standout defensively. He ranks in the 98th percentile in outs above average with five, reinforcing his value as one of the league’s top defensive first basemen.
Given his impact on both offense and defense, the Red Sox are fortunate the X-rays came back clean. The next step is simply managing the soreness and hoping for a quick recovery.
With an off day on Monday, Boston has a small window to let him heal before potentially returning for their upcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
