After weeks of playing through pain, Willson Contreras' hamstring injury finally caught up with him. The first baseman has been on the Boston Red Sox's 10-day injured list since August 31. The offense has been missing him at full strength, which he hasn't been for a while.
Fortunately for Boston, Contreras' recovery is progressing well. On September 8, Rob Bradford of WEEI posted of him running the bases at Fenway Park during a training session and he looked fit as ever. The following day before Boston's series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, interim manager Chad Tracy announced that Contreras will on begin a rehab assignment with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on September 10, according to multiple sources including Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
Contreras will play one or two games with the Sea Dogs before he's activated, which means he could be back in the Sox's lineup as soon as Saturday. The Kansas City Royals will be in Boston over the weekend and a healthy Contreras will help them fare better than they did against the Angels.
Willson Contreras to start rehab assignment on Friday, could join Red Sox by weekend
The Red Sox's offense has missed healthy Contreras and they desperately need to get him back into his earlier-season form for the postseason. Contreras slashed .211/.366/.384 over his last 30 games as he dealt with a few injuries, and that production won't cut it in October, especially because Boston has relied on Contreras as its best hitter all season.
Some of Craig Breslow's trade deadline additions are also dealing with injuries in the final weeks before the playoffs. Former Atlanta Braves outfielder, Eli White, who's had quite a turnaround at the plate since his move up North, got his spikes caught in a metal grate on the Green Monster while attempting a play on a fly ball and he's reportedly been sore since.
Red Sox send Eli White for imaging on sore foot injured on Green Monster
According to Healey, White has undergone imaging on the afflicted foot. The Red Sox have not yet reported his results, but an injury of any kind would be troubling.
Ceddanne Rafaela is already on the injured list, as is Masataka Yoshida, who would only play the outfield in desperate times. White is the best Rafaela replacement currently on the roster. The Red Sox clearly no longer see Jarren Duran as an option in center field, since they traded for White at the deadline, and they haven't used Jahmai Jones against righty pitchers.
Red Sox's Adley Rutschman got cortisone shot in injured elbow
Sox fans are hopeful that White's foot made it off the Green Monster alive, just as they are for Adey Rutschman to get his swing back. The catcher reportedly hyperextended an elbow on a big swing a few weeks ago and the elbow has been nagging him.
On September 9, Rutschman got a cortisone shot in the injured elbow. The injection was much needed — he sat out of many games to keep him from re-triggering the injury, including the two games the Red Sox lost against the Angels. Tracy expects he'll be able to play on Friday against the Royals.
Rutschman is slowly finding his way with Boston, batting .250/.250/.607 with three home runs in his last seven games. The cortisone shot will allow him to focus on the postseason while minimizing any pain in his elbow. Rutschman has already been on the IL three times this season and avoiding a fourth stint is imperative for Craig Breslow's trade deadline to be a success.
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