The Boston Red Sox (80-66) are fresh off a five-game winning streak and are neck and neck with the New York Yankees for the top American League Wild Card spot. However, they will need to remain hot in the regular season's final month if they hope to snatch the No. 4 seed, with the Yankees holding the tiebreaker over them after winning the season series 7-6. This means the Red Sox will have to finish one game better than the Yankees in the standings to claim the No. 1 Wild Card spot.
But the bigger concern should be the postseason. If the Red Sox are going to make any noise in the playoffs, they will need star first baseman Willson Contreras back at full strength, and performing like he did in the first half of the season.
Contreras has been on the 10-day injured list since Aug. 31 with a left hamstring strain that had been nagging him for about a month. And the proof was in the numbers, as Contreras was hitting just .212/.366/.384 with four home runs and 13 RBI in his last 30 games.
Contreras was seen taking batting practice and running the bases on the field at Fenway Park on Tuesday, which is an indicator that he is getting close to a return. He is eligible to return from the IL on Thursday and it remains to be seen whether he will require a rehab assignment or not. But the Red Sox don't need to rush Contreras back for one reason and one reason only.
Willson Contreras is taking batting practice on the field, which typically is an indication that an injured player is close to returning.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) September 8, 2026
He is eligible to come off the IL on Thursday. TBA whether he goes on a rehab assignment first.
Mickey Gasper has been a viable replacement for injured Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras
Mickey Gasper, who is filling in for Contreras at first base, has been an unexpected godsend for the Red Sox this season. Despite going 6-for-26 (.231) in eight games since Contreras went down, Gasper has three homers, a double and seven walks during this stretch. He is still slugging and getting on-base at a high clip.
Gasper, 30, just had one of the most impressive individual months in baseball history. In 12 games in August, Gasper slashed .400/.571/1.100 with a 1.671 OPS, six homers and 13 RBI across 42 plate appearances.
On the season, Gasper has hit .270/.384/.491 with a .875 OPS, eight homers and 22 RBI in 53 games. He has earned a spot on the Red Sox's roster and has proven he is more than capable of filling in for Contreras.
For that, the Red Sox shouldn't bring Contreras back until his hamstring is 100 percent healed, if possible, before October. They don't need him struggling again because he isn't healthy when the games matter most. What they do need is the All-Star version of Contreras showing up in the postseason, so that the team can go on a deep October run. That's why Boston should ride the hot hand with Gasper for as long as they can until Contreras is back to himself. There's no need to rush as long as Contreras comes back at full strength for the postseason.
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