Willson Contreras crushes 25th home run in win

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day off for the 34-year-old slugger. Nick Sogard will man first base in his absence while Anthony Seigler starts at second base and will bat eighth against Pirates’ right-hander Luke Bachar.

Contreras’ home run was his 24th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Jose Soriano in the fifth inning. Contreras hadn’t hit a home run since June 30 against the Athletics, a span of almost two weeks. While he remains in the lineup, it’s been reported that he continues to deal with a lingering hamstring injury. Contreras is hitting .280 with a .919 OPS and 71 RBI.

It’s notable that Contreras remains in Boston’s lineup since he’s been battling a lingering hamstring issue, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The ongoing issue, in addition to a laundry list of other recent physical ailments, seem to be impacting his on-field results as he’s hitting .167 (4-for-24) with zero extra-base hits in seven games since the start of August. He’s been the lynchpin for Boston’s offense during their remarkable turnaround, but he’s clearly struggling and could probably use a break. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his status heading into Thursday’s series finale in Toronto.

Multiple Red Sox beat writers have pointed out that Contreras was “grabbing his sore hamstring” during Tuesday’s game. We also know that Contreras was recently sick and was hit in the head by a fastball a few games ago. Considering he’s hitting just 4-for-24 in August, maybe a day off or two would be beneficial.

Contreras is back at first base and hitting cleanup against rookie southpaw Gage Jump following a two-game absence due to illness. The 34-year-old veteran has put together a career-best season at the plate, hitting .288/.395/.540 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI across 430 plate appearances. He’s served as one of Boston’s primary catalysts during their remarkable midseason turnaround. They’ve won nine consecutive games and 27 of their last 30 overall to pull within five games of the AL East-leading Rays.

Contreras was pulled early from Wednesday’s game and then sat out Thursday’s epic marathon against the White Sox while feeling under the weather. He’ll get another day to rest on Friday. If he doesn’t improve as the weekend progresses though, the Red Sox may have to consider a backdated stint on the injured list. Nick Sogard will again will in for him at first base while Anthony Seigler starts at second base and will bat eighth against A’s right-hander Jack Perkins.

He left yesterday’s game early. We haven’t seen any team update on this so far, but Contreras can be considered day-to-day at this point with the 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.

Contreras was pulled from Friday’s game after being hit in the back of the helmet by a pitch and was then held out of Saturday’s lineup as a precautionary measure. He’s right back in there at first base on Sunday night and will bat cleanup against Dodgers’ right-hander Emmet Sheehan.

Contreras left Friday’s game after being hit on the back of the helmet by a pitch, but he seems to have cleared concussion protocol, and it looks like he’ll miss just the one full contest.