Willson Contreras, Marcelo Mayer Create Red Sox's Most Awkward Moment Yet

Could the vibes get any worse?

Apr 13, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) shakes hands with second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) after scoring a run against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

It wasn't enough that the Boston Red Sox lost a series in inexplicable fashion on Sunday. They had to make fools of themselves in the clubhouse afterwards as well.

First baseman Willson Contreras and second baseman Marcelo Mayer have been two of the only guys producing anything at the plate over the last week or so. But they couldn't come close to getting on the same page when it came close to diagnosing the team's struggles.

The result was one of the most awkward moments of the season, fresh off losing a series to the Houston Astros to drop to 13-21, 10 games out of first place in the American League East already with five months left in front of them.

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Why Contreras, Mayer disagreed on Sunday

Apr 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) celebrates in the dugout with team mates after scoring a run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

According to Sean McAdam of MassLive, Contreras placed some of the blame on the team's young players, a group that includes Mayer, because they might not have much experience going through slumps. Then, per McAdam, Mayer "seemed to take exception to that explanation."

“To me, that’s just kind of an excuse: blame the young guys,” said Mayer, per McAdam. “But at the end of the day, we’re all playing baseball, we’re all pros. We all know what we need to do. I don’t think we’re doing a good job with runners in scoring position. When you don’t do that, you don’t score runs."

Even if there was no animosity behind either player's words, the fact that the Red Sox are playing the blame game outwardly is a pretty terrible look. And Contreras, who is supposed to be the seasoned pro of the group, could even be perceived here as trying to get a rise out of his younger teammates.

Everything is going wrong at this point. The firings of Alex Cora and five of his top assistants have done nothing to boost morale or the club's reeling offense. And the excuse of "it's early in the season" is going to run out any day now, with nothing left but misery in its place.