Red Sox Best, Worst-Case Scenarios After Willson Contreras Scary Exit

If the Boston Red Sox are going to make a deep playoff run this season, they're going to need first baseman Willson Contreras at his best. Unfortunately, he is up in the air rigth now after leaving Thursday's contest early against the Texas Rangers.

Contreras stepped up to the plate in the eighth inning on Thursday night and was hit on the top of the hand and was in clear discomfort right away and quickly exited the game and was replaced by Isiah Kiner-Falefa as a pinch runner.

Willson Contreras is out of the game after taking a pitch off his hand. I hate evrything. pic.twitter.com/dpksqEE4W1
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) September 18, 2026

After the game, Contreras shared an update about the injury, as transcribed by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"Sore. Painful," Contreras said. "My hand was numb for like five minutes. That was the reason I came out of the game. I have fractured, before, the same hand. It felt like a fracture. Thankfully, it’s not a fracture on the top of the bone. I’m just frustrated."

When your most consistent hitter has any sort of injury scare with under two weeks to go until the playoffs, that's something that warrants some nerves in the fanbase, especially when the offense has been struggling. The fact that he specifically said that he had a fracture before and that it felt the same added to the fears. On the bright side, he underwent an X-ray that initially came back negative. Still, he's not fully out of the water yet.

Best-Case Scenario

Sep 17, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) hits a single against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In a perfect world, the pain subsides for Contreras and he's able to return to the field on Friday night on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays with just a bruise. Or, at the very least, he's able to play at some point during the series against Tampa Bay.

It's not hard to see why this would be the best-case scenario. Contreras has played in 129 games and is slashing .276/.387/.518 with a .905 OPS, 27 homers, 81 RBIs, and 21 doubles. Plus, he's at 4.6 wins above replacement. The quicker he can get back, the better. He already underwent an X-ray that had good news. Now, it all comes down to how it feels when he wakes. Hopefully, when the swelling goes down, it doesn't reveal any more issues.

Worst-Case Scenario

For the worst-case scenario, look no further than Curtis Mead. When Mead initially got hit by a pitch on his hand back in July, his X-rays initially came back negative. Then, after further testing, it was revealed that he actually suffered a fractured wrist. Mead hasn't played in a game since and it's unclear if the Red Sox will get him before the season comes to a close.

The worst-case scenario for Contreras would be something similar happening. As the swelling goes down, if it were to reveal some sort of fracture as well, that would be bad news for his chances of a quick return.

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