ST. PETERSBURG — Willson Contreras has a little more squeeze in his right hand, but the Red Sox first baseman is still waiting to find out whether that will be enough to put a bat back in his hands before October arrives.
Two days after being struck on the knuckle between his right ring finger and pinkie during Boston’s win at Texas, Contreras said Saturday that the pain remains significant. Still, he woke up feeling better than he had the previous day, a small but meaningful development for a club heading toward an AL Wild Card Series that is expected to open at Yankee Stadium in 10 days.
The injury timeline
- Contreras was hit on his throwing hand in Thursday’s game against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. The impact brought immediate numbness and tingling that lasted roughly five minutes, prompting him to leave the game.
- An initial X-ray did not reveal a fracture, though a later scan can sometimes show a break after swelling subsides.
- On Friday, after arriving in St. Petersburg, Contreras tried to pick up a bat but could not manage it comfortably because the injured hand is his top hand on the swing.
- By Saturday morning, he said his grip had improved somewhat. The next checkpoint will be whether he can grip a bat well enough to take swings in the cage.
“My hand is still really sore,” Contreras said before Saturday’s game against the Rays. “But I woke up a little better today. I can squeeze better than yesterday. It is going to take some days, though. Hopefully the treatment helps, and the trainers will do everything they can to get me back out there sooner than expected.”
There is still some uncertainty whenever a hand injury is involved. Curtis Mead suffered a broken left wrist two months ago that was not immediately apparent, with the fracture discovered after he had made only two at-bats for Boston. Contreras, however, said the feel of this injury does not match the fractures he has endured in the past.
He recalled being hit in the right hand in 2024 and being unable to squeeze at all. This time, he has been able to generate at least some grip strength, leading him to believe there is no break. Even if a small fracture were eventually detected, he said he expects it would be handled on a day-to-day basis.
A bat test, then the next morning
For Contreras, the key will not simply be getting the bat into his hands. He also has to learn how the knuckle responds to contact and how much soreness follows the next morning.
“When I got here Friday, the first thing I did was grab a bat, and I couldn’t handle it because it’s the top hand,” Contreras said. “We’ll see how I feel tomorrow gripping a bat. If it feels good, I could go to the cages and try it.”
He added that his main concern is the pain created by putting the ball in play and the condition of the hand after a night’s rest. Contreras said he is eager to rejoin his teammates, but knows this is an injury that has to be evaluated one day at a time.
The Red Sox can ill afford to lose his lineup presence for long. Contreras leads the club with 27 home runs, and his right-handed power could carry real weight in a short postseason series against a strong pitching staff.
He appreciates the extra days before the Wild Card round, but he does not view a long layoff as ideal preparation.
“You don’t want to reach the playoffs without having games right before that, because the playoffs are tough and we’ll be facing a good pitching staff,” Contreras said. “You want your timing to be in a good place. I’m going to do everything I can to get back before the playoffs. If it happens, it happens. If not, we’ll see what happens in the postseason.”
Defense remains part of the calculation
The injury also affects Contreras beyond the batter’s box. The ball struck his right hand, which is the hand he uses to throw, and he was not ready Saturday to estimate when he might resume throwing.
“It hit me on the knuckle, not on top of the hand,” Contreras said. “When it happened, my hand went numb, and I thought it was serious because that can be a sign of a fracture. That’s why I came out. But the scan didn’t show a fracture, and that’s a good sign.”
Boston closes its weekend at Tropicana Field, then gets an off-day before returning home for six regular-season games: three against the Guardians from Tuesday through Thursday, followed by three against the Cubs from Friday through Sunday. That closing homestand gives Contreras a six-game runway to test the hand, find his timing and, if all goes well, get back into the Red Sox lineup before the postseason bell rings.
