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Willson Contreras leaves game early with illness

Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Player Stats

Willson Contreras was removed from Wednesday’s game against the White Sox due to illness.

Fantasy managers can go ahead and mark another square on their Willson Contreras early-exit bingo cards for the season. It’s a relief that he isn’t dealing with any additional physical issues after being replaced at first base in the fifth inning after going 1-for-1 with an RBI. He also drew a walk. The 34-year-old should be ready to return to Boston’s lineup once he’s feeling better. It’s entirely possible he’s ready to play in Thursday’s series finale at Fenway Park.

- George Bissell

Injury

Source: Ian Browne

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Smoltz: NLCS will be 'unbelievably' close series

John Smoltz joints the Dan Patrick Show to weigh in on this year's NLCS matchup, how the Brewers can dethrone the Dodgers and former generations of pitchers compared to today's pitchers.

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Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

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Red Sox president of baseball operations Craig Breslow said that he, Willson Contreras, and manager Chad Tracy met “for over two hours [on Sunday] to discuss a host of topics.”

We assume the primary topic was Contreras’ locker room comments after the Game 2 loss to the Yankees, where he insinuated, pretty strongly, that the Red Sox were far too reliant on data to make decisions for the team. Tracy has been roundly criticized for his decision to pull both Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray after just 4 2/3 innings in each of the games. As a first-year manager, Tracy could use the experience and the subsequent meeting with Contreras as a learning experience heading into 2027.
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Willson Contreras went 2-for-2 with a solo homer and a pair of walks in a loss to the Yankees in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series on Wednesday.

Contreras was one of the few bright spots as Boston’s ongoing offensive struggles carried into a middle innings of a win-or-go-home battle at Yankee Stadium. He managed to get Boston within a single run by taking Yankees starter Max Fried deep on a full-count offering with two outs in the sixth inning. He wound up reaching base safely in all four of his plate appearances as the Red Sox were sent home following back-to-back blowout losses in New York.
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Willson Contreras went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Red Sox’ shutout loss to the Yankees in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday.

Boston’s inability to score runs during the final month of the regular season carried over into the postseason as they were unable to manufacture anything against Yankees ace Cam Schlittler, who held them scoreless into the seventh inning, as they finished with just three hits in the entire contest.
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Willson Contreras is in the lineup for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees on Tuesday.

Contreras is at first base and hitting third as Boston kicks off postseason play after missing eight of their final nine regular-season contests with a right hand injury. Here’s the full lineup set to battle Yankees ace Cam Schlittler: Roman Anthony (DH), Adley Rutschman (C), Contreras (1B), Wilyer Abreu (RF), Ceddanne Rafaela (CF), Nick Sogard (2B), Jarren Duran (LF), Trevor Story (SS) and Caleb Durbin (3B).
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

William Contreras went 0-for-2 in his return to the lineup during Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Cubs.

The big question is how Contreras is feeling from a physical standpoint leading into the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees on Tuesday. The 34-year-old veteran slugger returned to Boston’s lineup for their final regular-season contest at Tropicana Field following an eight-game absence due to a right hand injury after he was hit by a pitch earlier this month. He concludes the regular season as a top-15 range option at first base, hitting .275/.386/.516 with 68 runs scored, 27 homers, 81 RBI and three steals in 130 games.
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Willson Contreras exited Sunday’s game after striking out and grounding out in two at-bats.

We’ll find out later how Contreras felt on his swings. He was playing for the first time since getting hit on the hand by a pitch 10 days ago.
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Willson Contreras (hand) returned to the Red Sox’ starting lineup for Sunday’s regular season finale against the Cubs.

Contreras hasn’t played since September 17 when he was hit in the hand by a pitch. It’s encouraging that he’ll be able to get a couple of live at-bats in before the Red Sox open the postseason on Tuesday against the Yankees. He’ll serve as the team’s designated hitter and will bat third against Cubs’ left-hander Shota Imanaga.
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Willson Contreras (hand) told reporters on Thursday that he will not return to the Red Sox’ lineup on Friday.

Contreras admitted that his hand still hurts and that he is unable to hit on consecutive days. While he has shown some improvements, there’s still no clear timetable on when he may be able to return to action. At this point, his availability for the postseason remains in question.
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Willson Contreras (hand) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday’s showdown against the Guardians.

No surprise here with Contreras working his way back from a right hand injury and the Red Sox having already locked up a playoff spot. It’s a frustrating situation for fantasy managers, but there’s very little incentive for Boston to rush Contreras back into a game before the postseason. There’s a chance he’s ready to return at some point during their final series against the Cubs, but that three-game set is going to be a mess with a rare fall Nor’easter rolling in this weekend.
Willson Contreras

BOS 1st Baseman #40

Willson Contreras (hand) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Guardians.

There’s zero incentive for the Red Sox to push Contreras, who was able to take on-field batting practice prior to Tuesday’s contest, back before he’s ready after they clinched a playoff spot over the weekend. The 34-year-old first baseman will miss his fourth consecutive contest after being hit by a pitch on the right hand last week. There’s a decent chance Contreras returns at some point later this week since he’ll want to get some at-bats under his belt before Boston kicks off their postseason run.

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Danny Young

ATL Relief Pitcher
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Braves selected the contract of LHP Danny Young from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Young heads into the offseason with a spot on Atlanta’s 40-man roster to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent. The 32-year-old southpaw struggled to a bloated 8.03 ERA across 12 1/3 innings this past season. He holds a serviceable 4.68 ERA over 73 innings in the majors since 2022.
- George Bissell

Transaction

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Luke Williams

ATL Shortstop #37
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Braves designated INF/OF Luke Williams for assignment.

The procedural move takes Williams off Atlanta’s roster heading into the offseason after they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Dodgers in the NLDS. The versatile 30-year-old figures to elect free agency and head to the open market.
- George Bissell

Transaction

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Rob Zastryzny

FA Relief Pitcher #58
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Brewers LHP Rob Zastryzny elected free agency.

The 34-year-old southpaw was sent outright to Triple-A Nashville by the Brewers near the end of September. Rather than waiting it out to see if he could be an option to work out of their bullpen at some point during the remainder of the postseason, Zastryzny will head to the free agent market. He made just 11 appearances at the Triple-A level this season, registering a stellar 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and a 9/2 K/BB ratio over 9 1/3 innings.
- David Shovein

Transaction
Milwaukee Brewers
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Ian Hamilton

FA Relief Pitcher #71
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Braves RHP Ian Hamilton elected free agency.

The 31-year-old hurler made just four appearances with the Braves during the 2026 campaign, registering a 7.71 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and a 4/3 K/BB ratio over 4 2/3 innings. He’ll get a head start on free agency.
- David Shovein

Transaction
Atlanta Braves
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Garrett Whitlock

BOS Relief Pitcher #22
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Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Globe reports that imaging on the injured leg of right-hander Garrett Whitlock revealed that he had been pitching through a fractured tibia that wasn’t properly diagnosed.

Given the severity of the injury, it’s awfully impressive that Whitlock was able to continue pitching — and pitch as well as he was — down the stretch and into the postseason for the Red Sox. The 30-year-old hurler isn’t expected to require surgery, but he will be in a walking boot for the next 4-6 weeks while the injury heals. Whitlock should still be able to go through his regular off-season routine and should be a full participant at the start of spring training.
- David Shovein

Injury

Source: Gabrielle Starr

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Miguel Rojas

LAD 2nd Baseman #72
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Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Friday that while Miguel Rojas (back) has improved, his status for the NLCS remains in question.

Rojas exited Game 3 of the NLDS due to pain in his lower back and sat out Game 4 on Wednesday. While he has progressed steadily during their time off, he’s still not ready to return and could potentially be left off of the Dodgers’ roster for their NLCS battle against the Brewers. Expect the Dodgers to make a final decision on his status on Sunday.
- David Shovein

Source: Jack Harris

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Tarik Skubal

LAD Starting Pitcher #29
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Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts confirmed Friday that Tarik Skubal will start Game 1 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Sunday.

That was the expectation all along, but it has now been confirmed. Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start in Game 2 with Blake Snell expected to start in Game 3. Skubal delivered a dominant performance in his Dodgers’ postseason debut, striking out seven batters over six innings of one-run ball in a victory over the Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS.
- David Shovein

Source: Fabian Ardaya
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
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Gavin Williams

CLE Starting Pitcher #32
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Guardians’ manager Stephen Vogt announced Friday that Gavin Williams will start in Game 5 of the ALDS against the White Sox on Saturday evening.

The Guardians’ ace came out of the bullpen in Game 4 on Thursday, throwing 18 pitches to record the final three outs. Williams racked up 11 strikeouts over five innings of two-run baseball as the Guardians dropped Game 2 on Monday. It’ll be an all hands on deck situation in an elimination game for the Guardians, with Williams giving them everything that he possibly can before turning the ball over to the bullpen on Saturday.
- David Shovein

Source: Zack Meisel

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Sonny Gray

BOS Starting Pitcher #54
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According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, Sonny Gray plans to continue pitching in 2027.

There had been some rumblings that the 37-year-old hurler was mulling retirement but ultimately, it became a relatively easy decision. Gray noted, “My family and I have talked about it and it’s an easy decision... I still want to win a World Series, whether that is [with] Boston or with whoever wants me.” He’s expected to decline his side of his $30 million mutual option with the Red Sox and should be very highly sought after in free agency this winter.
- David Shovein

Source: Alex Speier

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Josh Jung

TEX 3rd Baseman #6
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The Rangers announced Friday that Josh Jung will not require surgery to repair his fractured right hand.

Jung suffered a right-hand fracture during the final week of September when he was drilled by a 95-mph fastball from Joe Ryan. He’ll still need some time to recover, but it’s not expected to interfere with his regular off-season routine. Expect the 28-year-old infielder to be fully recovered and ready to go for the start of spring training.
- David Shovein

Source: Kennedi Landry

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