Red Sox May Have Last-Second Hail Mary for AL Wild Card Series

The Boston Red Sox's offense has been struggling. Could a last-second boost be on the way?

Jul 19, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Curtis Mead (45) bats during the third inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox's offense has stalled out over the last week or so, and there are real red flags with the playoffs just days away from beginning. Specifically, first baseman Willson Contreras is completely up in the air after being hit by a pitch on his hand on Sep. 17. He hasn't played in a game since and gave a negative update on Thursday.

If Contreras is unable to return in the postseason, that significantly hurts the Red Sox's chances of making a run. There are few better right-handed sluggers in the American League. So, this is something to watch. But, on the other hand, there was a positive update on Thursday as well to ease the pain a bit. Fellow righty slugger Curtis Mead is scheduled to advance to taking batting practice on Friday and then will potentially face Garrett Crochet on Saturday. Shockingly, Mead has not been ruled out for the wild-card round, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.

"Curtis Mead (left wrist fracture) plans to take another step forward Friday by taking batting practice off of a machine," Healey wrote. "He will head to Fort Myers with Crochet and potentially hit against him on Saturday, he said. He is not ruled out for the first round of the playoffs beginning Tuesday, but that deadline might be too soon."

Could Curtis Mead Actually Return?

Jul 19, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Curtis Mead (45) grounds out resulting in an RBI during the third inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With all of the negativity around the offense right now — and the real fear that Contreras could miss time in the playoffs — the fact that Mead is taking a big step forward is a silver lining that Boston fans needed at this point in time.

Boston is four days away from kicking off its playoff run on Sep. 29, as of writing. There is clearly less pop in the lineup with Contreras — and his 27 homers — not in the mix at first base. If the Red Sox could somehow get Mead back in the next few days — and he looks like himself — that certainly could make things a little easier.

Red Sox fans may not yet know what Mead can do. He fractured his wrist in his very first game with the Red Sox after being acquired from the Washington Nationals for Connelly Early. But this is a guy with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs from the right side of the plate in 88 games. That's a pace of 31 homers and 88 RBIs across 162 games. Plus, he can play first base, second base, shortstop and third base. With Contreras hurting, the easiest way to integrate Mead in would be at first base, although that is thinking ahead.

At this moment, it still would be surprising to see Mead playing in games in just four days, but he hasn't been ruled out, which raises eyebrows. In a perfect world, Contreras will return shortly. If not, the next best thing would be getting Mead back.