Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras cast fresh doubt Thursday night on whether he will be ready for next week’s American League Wild Card series, saying he still could not swing a bat after Boston’s 1-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park.
Speaking after the game on Sept. 25, Contreras described the situation as “really concerning” while stressing that he is working daily with trainers. The Wild Card round is scheduled to begin Tuesday, with Boston expected to open a best-of-three series most likely at Yankee Stadium against New York.
Willson Contreras hand injury timeline
Contreras was hit on the hand by a pitch last Thursday against the Texas Rangers and has not appeared in a game since. Team imaging — including X-rays and CT scans — showed no fracture, and he has not been placed on the injured list. Still, he told reporters he has been unable to swing for two straight days because of significant pain.
“I was hoping to swing today, and I couldn’t swing,” Contreras said, according to Boston.com. “I came into my locker just tearing up because that’s what we play for. We play to play in October.”
Manager Chad Tracy characterized the progress as “subtle improvements” but acknowledged the hand remains sore, with the staff still aiming to have Contreras available for the postseason.
What a Contreras absence would mean for Boston
At 34, Contreras has been one of the Red Sox’s most productive hitters in 2026, batting .276/.387/.518 with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs in 129 games. Losing that middle-of-the-order power for even one Wild Card game would force Boston to lean on depth options at first base.
If Contreras is unavailable when the series opens, Mickey Gasper or Nick Sogard are the leading internal candidates to handle first base, according to reporting from Boston.com. Neither offers Contreras’s combination of on-base skills and extra-base thump over a full season, so the lineup construction — and how opposing pitchers attack Boston — would change quickly.
Therapy push ahead of Tuesday’s Wild Card opener
Contreras said he is using laser, shockwave, and massage therapy to try to regain enough strength and comfort to swing. With four full days between Thursday’s Guardians finale and Tuesday’s scheduled playoff start, he framed the next 48 hours as critical.
“Hopefully, I can swing the bat tomorrow and Saturday and go from there,” he said. “I’m an honest guy, and if I don’t feel confident in my hand to be able to play either Sunday or Tuesday, I’ll be completely honest with the team.”
He also emphasized he does not want to take a roster spot from healthier teammates if he cannot contribute: “If I don’t feel good, I don’t want to take anybody’s spot.”
Guardians clinched while Boston finished the regular season
Thursday’s 1-0 defeat ended a three-game set with Cleveland. Angel Martinez’s second-inning home run was the only run of the night as the Guardians (83-76) clinched their third consecutive AL playoff berth, per Field Level Media / Reuters. Boston (85-74) had already locked in its postseason path and now turns fully toward October availability questions.
The Red Sox still enter the Wild Card with a strong regular-season résumé, but October baseball magnifies every lineup hole. Whether Contreras can take even limited swings this weekend will dominate the next few days of Boston sports conversation as much as any pitching plan against New York.
What to watch next for the Red Sox
Expect daily updates from Tracy and Contreras through the weekend. A Saturday batting-practice appearance would be an encouraging sign; continued pain that prevents swinging would push Gasper or Sogard into the primary first-base conversation for Game 1. Either way, Boston’s focus has shifted from seeding math to health — and specifically to whether Willson Contreras can trust his hand when the Wild Card series begins Tuesday.
