Red Sox Dodged a Bullet With Star Slugger Willson Contreras

It sounds like the Boston Red Sox aren't going to lose Willson Contreras for very long at all.

Apr 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) wears the green monster mask after hitting a two run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox had a serious scare on Tuesday night, but it sounds like the club avoided the worst-case scenario.

Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras left the club's loss against the Minnesota Twins early due to lower back tightness. The Red Sox will conclude their three-game series against the Twins on Wednesday afternoon with Connelly Early on the mound against Simeon Woods Richardson. When the club announced the lineup for Wednesday's tilt, unsurprisingly, Contreras wasn't on it.

Afternoon baseball today. pic.twitter.com/ZPjUw584v5

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 15, 2026

The Red Sox Got A Positive Update

Apr 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) looks on during the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Fortunately, Red Sox manager Alex Cora eased the fear among the fanbase by saying that Contreras is expected to return to the mix on Friday after Thursday's off day, as shared by Ian Browne of MLB.com.

"I think he'll benefit from today and tomorrow (offday) and be ready for Friday," Browne wrote on X.

Tim Healey of The Boston Globe had a similar take on X and noted that the club is "confident" that Contreras will not need a stint on the Injured List right now.

"Alex Cora said the Red Sox are confident Willson Contreras won’t have to go on the IL with his back tightness," Healey wrote on X.

So, if you're a Red Sox fan, you can let out a sigh of relief, for now. Boston will face off against the Twins on Wednesday with Andruw Monasterio at first base before a day off on Thursday. Then, we should see Contreras right back over at first base at Fenway Park against the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

Arguably, Contreras is the most irreplaceable position player for Boston right now, so this is a massive update. Boston's offense is loaded with lefties. The club needs Contreras to help balance the lineup. The club is thin at first base, to say the least as well. The Red Sox went out and got Contreras this past offseason because of the injuries that Triston Casas has dealt with over the last few years.

Boston had to be reactive at one of the most important positions on the field over the last two seasons. Contreras' addition was to help prevent that, so the fact that he exited early on Tuesday was nerve-wracking, to say the least. Especially because his exit came on the same day that it was revealed that Casa was diagnosed with a left abdominal strain.

Fortunately, the Red Sox avoided another first base disaster for the time being. If Contreras ends up not being in the lineup on Friday, that will raise some eyebrows. But right now, everything sounds like it's going to be alright.