Boston Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras left Fenway Park on Thursday with a blunt assessment of the bruise that has kept him off the field and now threatens Boston’s opening playoff series.
After the Red Sox dropped a 1-0 decision to Cleveland and fell two games out of three in the set, the first-year Boston catcher and designated hitter made clear that the right hand he fouled a pitch off last week is not cooperating.
“I haven’t been able to hit back-to-back days. I tried to swing yesterday, couldn’t swing, I tried to swing today and couldn’t swing, so taking it day by day… putting all my efforts in with the trainers on my hand to make it feel better. As of now I don’t think I’m playing tomorrow,” Contreras said.
He added that the situation is “really concerning, but at the same time I’m putting all my effort. Everything that I can do, I’m doing it.”
He promised the club he would stay honest about his readiness, noting that Tuesday’s likely Wild Card opener against the New York Yankees is “a really important game.”
He had hoped to take swings Thursday. The pain would not allow it.
“I’m doing everything I can to come back and play with the boys… sometimes you have to listen to your body,” he said.
Boston has already locked up a postseason berth and will close the regular season against the Cubs. One more win, or a White Sox loss, would secure the second Wild Card seed and set up that New York series.
Contreras’ absence would punch a sizable hole in a lineup that has relied on him as its middle-of-the-order anchor.
In 129 games this season, his first in a Red Sox uniform and his 11th in the majors, he has hit .276 with 27 home runs, 81 RBIs, a .518 slugging percentage and a .905 OPS.
The Yankees own one of the stronger pitching staffs in the league. Losing Contreras’ power and presence against that group would force manager Chad Tracy to reshuffle an already thin roster at the worst possible moment.
Trainers continue to work on the hand daily. Contreras himself is not projecting a return date, only that he will tell the team the truth when Tuesday arrives.
For a club that has spent months building toward October, the next few days are as much about one player’s ability to grip a bat as they are about standings.
The bruise that looked manageable a week ago now sits at the center of Boston’s October plans.
