Red Sox's Willson Contreras Has Hand Injury Worth Monitoring

The less we mention it moving forward, the better

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

It hasn't been a good start to the season for the Boston Red Sox by any means, but one might shudder to think about where the team would be without Willson Contreras.

After arriving in a December trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, Contreras has hit well even when the entire lineup around him has gone into a stupor. He drove in his team-leading 23rd RBI on Wednesday to help Boston finish off a sweep of the Detroit Tigers, and he also sported eight home runs and a 143 OPS+.

All of that context made it doubly scary when Contreras winced and flexed his hand on several swings during his last at-bat of the night, a swinging strikeout, also prompting a visit from the athletic trainer and interim manager Chad Tracy.

That hand will be something to keep an eye on with Willson Contreras. Hopefully a good sign that it didn't seem to be bothering him once he got to the dugout. pic.twitter.com/aYFZE9lmmS

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) May 7, 2026

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Contreras seemingly not dealing with new issue

Apr 29, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) hits a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

After the 4-0 win at Comerica Park, Tracy expressed to reporters that Contreras' injury wasn't something that had just cropped up in that at-bat, while emphasizing that he didn't think the issue would be one that would threaten to put the slugger on the injured list.

"It's popped up, if you guys have seen it, a handful of times over the week," Tracy said, via NESN and Tyler Milliken of the "Section 10" podcast. "Every once in a while, he'll take an awkward swing and it will flare. But I think he's going to be alright."

While it's obviously good news on the whole that Contreras isn't a candidate for a stint on the injured list, we should also continue to monitor this injury in case it gets any worse. Even if the pain clears itself up within the next few weeks, it could affect the quality of his at-bats in the short term.

Contreras has quickly proven himself to be an irreplaceable cog in this Boston lineup. It's not damning evidence that he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a sacrifice fly on Wednesday, especially since he hit a long home run on Tuesday. But it's a slight red flag that Boston will surely need to keep tabs on.