New Details Surface on Red Sox's Willson Contreras Before Phillies Series

May 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) in the field in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

New Details Surface on Red Sox's Willson Contreras Before Phillies Series

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated May 12, 2026 7:48 AM ET

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The Boston Red Sox will begin a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night at Fenway Park and it sounds like there's at least a chance that the club will have one of their most consistent hitters in the lineup.

Willson Contreras exited the Red Sox's Mother's Day series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning after being hit hard on his right hand by a 94.2 mph fastball from Rays starter Nick Martinez. Contreras ran the bases afterward, but didn't come back to play defense in the top of the second inning.

Fortunately, Boston had a day off on Monday to get ready for its series against the Phillies. This time off also has given Contreras a little extra time to heal up ahead of the contest. On Monday, MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported that the club is "cautiously optimistic" that Contreras' hand is going to be alright now and not require him to miss any time.

"As I understand it, Red Sox are still cautiously optimistic on Willson Contreras' hand injury and will re-assess when he arrives Tuesday," Cotillo wrote. "As of now, there's at least a chance he plays [Tuesday] against the Phillies. But it's a read-and-react thing."

The Red Sox First Baseman Left Early On Sunday

If Contreras is able to be play on Tuesday, that would be the best-case scenario. Contreras is one of two offensive players who have been consistently good for the team since the 2026 season began. Contreras and Wilyer Abreu have been carrying this lineup throughout the campaign.

Contreras has played in 39 games so far this season and is slashing .259/.380/.467 with an .846 OPS. On top of this, Contreras is also leading the Red Sox with eight homers and 23 RBIs. Boston needs his bat in the lineup as much as possible. Plus, he has also been elite defensively this season. Contreras is in the 98th percentile in outs above average with five. He's leading all first basemen in Major League Baseball in outs above average. The next-closest to him is Michael Busch of the Chicago Cubs with four.

"Cautiously optimistic" is good, although it doesn't completely remove any fear around the slugger. There have been multiple times this season in which reports surfaced indicating a player was going to be alright, then all of a sudden things changed. Like, with Roman Anthony, the initial hope was that he wouldn't land on the Injured List. Then, a few days later, that's exactly what happened. For Contreras, if he returns to the lineup on Tuesday, that will be the positive thing Boston fans need.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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