During his first at-bat against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 10, Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. The Boston Red Sox are used to this by now — in his short tenure with the club, Contreras leads with eight hit by pitches.
Boston's offense has been so rough that it can't complain about Contreras getting on base in any way possible. But the pitch from Nick Martinez had Contreras wincing in pain, squeezing and examining his hand for any damage. Interim manager Chad Tracy and a trainer came out from the dugout to do the same.
Contreras stayed in the game to run the bases in the first frame, but he didn't take the field at first base in the following inning. Boston had his hand x-rayed and his scans came back negative for any damage. He was diagnosed with a hand contusion and has been lucky to avoid the injured list so far.
But Contreras won't play in the Red Sox's May 12 tilt against the Philadelphia Phillies, which has some fans concerned about his status. Chris Cotillo on May 11 reported that the Red Sox were "cautiously optimistic" about Contreras' hand injury and that they would reassess his readiness before the start of the series. Tuesday's lineup shows he needs at least one more game on the shelf before Boston is comfortable playing him.
Willson Contreras out of Red Sox's May 12 lineup against Phillies with hand contusion
Any injury to Contreras is a rough outcome for the Red Sox, even if it's a short-term one. The first baseman has been one of Boston's best hitters all year, with a .259/.380/.467 slash line, .847 OPS and he leads the team with eight home runs. He's also been one of the best defensive first basemen in the league with five outs above average for 98th percentile range and four defensive runs saved, which is tied for the MLB lead.
The Red Sox have classified Contreras as day-to-day and seemingly hope to avoid placing him on the IL. Fortunately, he was seen taking grounders and swinging in the cage before Tuesday's game — his is an absence the Red Sox can't afford long-term.
Mickey Gasper will play first base in Contreras' stead. Interim manager Chad Tracy shockingly started Gasper behind the plate in Boston's final game against Tampa on May 10 and he had quite a day with three hits, two of them doubles, and an RBI. If he can continue playing at that offensive pace, the Red Sox may not even have to miss Contreras (besides his irreplaceable defense) while his hand heals in, ideally, a few days.
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