Boston Red Sox
Contreras is appealing the seven-game suspension MLB issued him for his role in last week’s benches-clearing situation with the Nationals.
Willson Contreras was emotional when speaking with reporters Saturday about what he’s been going through on and off the field. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras has endured a chaotic last week and a half.
Two seven-plus magnitude earthquakes rocked his native country, Venezuela, on June 24, which killed nearly 3,000, injured over 16,000, and left 41,000 unaccounted for as of Saturday evening, according to Reuters.
Nothing has been the same for Contreras since.
Every positive moment for Contreras on the field since June 24 has been for Venezuela, he said, including home runs. He has hit three since that date and has celebrated all at length.
The right-handed slugger, who’s having the best offensive season of his career in 2026, has not held back his emotions during games. He has been seen crying multiple times, with his home nation and its people constantly heavy on his mind.
Earlier this week against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, tempers flared when Nats pitcher Cade Cavalli had choice words for Contreras after striking him out in the fourth inning. The two went back and forth before benches cleared and a brawl ensued, resulting in ejections for Contreras, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy, and outfielder Nate Eaton.
MLB suspended Contreras and Cavalli for seven games each. Both appealed and are awaiting the league’s response.
The day before, Contreras was ejected by first base umpire Nic Lentz for tapping his helmet, pretending to challenge Lentz calling him out on a check swing. Contreras didn’t appear to say anything and was simply thrown out for making the gesture.
Before both instances, on June 26, Contreras was at the center of a separate benches-clearing moment against the New York Yankees. He went back and forth with Yankees pitcher Will Warren after drawing a walk, which prompted both teams to take the field before the situation escalated.
Contreras defended himself after the instances, but he seems to have reflected on the emotional events in the last few days.
“Those situations could have been avoided and controlled and handled better,” he said through a translator before Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels (via The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey). “It’s been a really tough week, emotional week for me. I hope that they understand how emotional it has been, and I’ll prove myself with my actions on the field from here moving forward and show the kind of person that I truly am.”
Healey said Contreras cried as he apologized, clearly distraught from what he’s dealt with.
Cavalli, who also took time to reflect on what he said during the game that upset Contreras, offered an apology of his own on Friday.
“I have high respect for (Contreras),” Cavalli said. “I wish him the best and I hope that we can just move on from this, and respect each other, and pray over him, and hope that he’s doing okay. … I think he understands that we’re both high competitors and it’s part of what makes us who we are. That’s nothing to shy away from, and we want to do it in a respectful way.”
Contreras will surely be looking to find a way to make himself a 2026 MLB All-Star over the next week before the game on July 14. He was left off the American League’s initial roster, which was revealed on Saturday night.
He’s been one of the AL’s best hitters this season and deserves what would be his fourth All-Star nod. He further made his case by hitting a three-run homer in the first inning on Saturday to put Boston ahead early.
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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