Willson Contreras sat out the Red Sox’s 9-5 win over the Twins on Wednesday after tweaking his back the previous night, but the club still expects the 33-year-old to avoid the injured list. Alex Cora said Wednesday that the team believes Contreras will be fine with a little rest, and the infielder said he woke up Thursday feeling a lot better.
Contreras said he hurt his back when he bent down for a ground ball on Tuesday, then felt it tighten further when he sat down after the inning. He tried to stretch it out on the bases, but said he decided against pushing through because he did not want to make it worse. "Just to be cautious with it, not to make it worse," he said.
The plan now is simple: rest on Thursday, then see whether he can return Friday. Cora said he thinks Contreras will benefit from missing Wednesday and Thursday and be ready for Friday. Contreras said the day off should help, adding, "Hopefully with a day off [Thursday], it helps to be back in play on Friday."
That matters because Contreras has been one of the Red Sox’ hottest hitters early in the season, batting.298 with a.444 on-base percentage and a.491 slugging percentage. He has also given Boston high-end defense at first base and a veteran voice on a young roster. In his first nine seasons, he has played 353 career games, and his track record has been strong enough that the Red Sox want to protect it now rather than gamble on one sore back.
Contreras said the issue felt familiar. His only other similar problem came last year, when a weightlifting session caused back spasms. This episode, he said, was different in how it started but similar in how quickly it could turn from annoyance to something more serious. "Of course, I wanted to play, but it doesn’t make sense for me to make it worse right now. I’d rather have two off days … and be back and playing Friday," he said.
The Red Sox also had reasons beyond Contreras to keep the night from turning into a bigger crisis. Cora defended Jarren Duran after a fan confrontation at Target Field, saying, "We have Jarren’s back." He also pointed to Duran’s decision to open up publicly about a suicide attempt in 2022, saying, "For him to open up [last year about a suicide attempt in 2022], he’s saved lives." Cora added, "It’s hard. I’m not in his shoes."
Boston’s lineup had already shifted Wednesday, with Ceddanne Rafaela batting second for just the second time in 353 career games. Patrick Sandoval’s rehab outing for Triple-A Worcester was physically fine but statistically rough, and he was scheduled to pitch again Sunday. The Red Sox and Twins both wore No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day, a reminder of a day that carries weight every year, but especially when teams are juggling injuries, lineup changes and the pressure to keep wins coming.
For Boston, the immediate question is whether Contreras can return Friday without the back problem lingering. The answer could shape not just one lineup card, but how aggressively the Red Sox push a hitter they need to keep in the middle of things.
Masataka Yoshida remains part of that larger picture, but on this day the focus was on whether Boston could get Contreras through a two-day reset and back on the field without losing him for longer.
