Boston Red Sox
Contreras has been dealing with a hamstring injury for most of the second half of the season.
Willson Contreras leads the Red Sox in both home runs and RBI this season. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
August 31, 2026 | 4:26 PM
1 minute to read
The Boston Red Sox are going to lose one of their top bats for part of the final stretch of the regular season.
Boston announced on Monday that first baseman Willson Contreras has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
In a corresponding move, Boston recalled Mickey Gasper from Triple-A Worcester, with the veteran batting second and playing first base for the Red Sox’ series opener against the Mariners on Monday at Fenway Park.
Contreras has been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury for well over a month, with that nagging ailment prompting him at times not to hustle down the first-base line on groundouts — much to the chagrin of some fans.
He was pulled from Boston’s 16-1 blowout loss to the Yankees on Sunday during the seventh inning due to the injury.
Even though the 34-year-old infielder has seemingly gutted his way through the lower-body issue throughout the second half of this season, his production at the plate had started to wane.
Over his last eight games before his IL stint, Contreras was batting just .129 with one extra-base hit and one RBI.
The loss of Contreras, even if it’s just for a 10-game stretch, is a blow to a Red Sox lineup that just got Roman Anthony and Trevor Story back after extended stints on the IL.
Contreras leads the Red Sox in home runs (26) and RBI (79) this year while doling out plenty of damage at Fenway Park (.318 batting average, 14 home runs, 37 RBI).
Given how long this injury has been bothering Contreras, the Red Sox — after effectively falling five games back of the Yankees in the AL Wild Card race when factoring in the series tie-breaker — might focus more on prioritizing rest for several ailing veterans and overworked players over the next few weeks.
While Contreras will have time to rest that hamstring, Boston is also skipping Sonny Gray in the rotation during this series against Seattle — with the 36-year-old righty now expected to start Saturday against the Orioles, according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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