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The Boston Red Sox are expecting a few big boosts at a crucial time late in the season.
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This will first come in the form of their best bat, Willson Contreras. After a 13-day stint on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, the Red Sox have activated Contreras for the series finale and rubber match at Fenway Park against the Kansas City Royals. The 34-year-old slugger will bat cleanup and play first base.
Contreras, who leads the club in home runs (26), RBI (79), and OPS (.900), was scuffling late in August, likely as a result of his ailing hamstring. With Boston deciding it more important to get healthy than anything else, Contreras became the first of a few Red Sox players to get some time off.
The veteran opted to get a couple of rehab games in to knock the rust off, but in typical Contreras fashion these didn’t come without controversy. In his second and final game for Double-A Portland, Contreras took exception to the home plate umpire after he denied his request to go back to the dugout to grab more pine tar for his bat mid-plate appearance.
After exchanging some words, Contreras stepped back into the box but made no attempt to finish the at-bat, looking at four straight pitches and striking out. While walking back to the dugout, he tossed his bat back in the direction of the ump.
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Willson being Willson?
Willson Contreras in his second rehab at bat tonight for the @PortlandSeaDogs just gives up the at bat and strikes out after umpire does not allow him to go back to dugout and I am guessing put more pinetar on bat pic.twitter.com/Q0EVYu6Xbc
— Joe Bailey (@joebaileysports) September 12, 2026
Interim manager Chad Tracy was asked about the incident, but said he didn’t address it with his rehabbing star.
“I didn’t ask him,” he told Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “I didn’t even know until somebody showed it to me this morning. I haven’t even seen him and asked him that yet. I think that’s something to do with pine tar.”
Contreras is no stranger to a dust up, and it clearly didn’t come as much of a surprise or concern for his big-league manager. With just a couple of weeks left in the season, the Sox will look for their big thumper to get back into a rhythm for postseason play.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 2:38 PM.