BOSTON -- While the Red Sox were playing the Royals at Fenway Park on Friday night, Willson Contreras was raking at Double-A Portland, positioning himself to return to Boston’s lineup as soon as Sunday.
Contreras, serving as the DH, went 2-for-4, belting singles in his first two at-bats, driving in a pair of runs with the second.
The plan is that the right-handed-hitting masher, who leads the Sox in homers (26) and RBIs (79) this season, will start at first base for the Sea Dogs on Saturday.
“After that, we’ll see where he's at and what we want to do there,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy.
Contreras wasn’t the only player of importance playing for Portland on Friday. Righty Tanner Houck made his second appearance for the Sea Dogs this week, stretching out to three innings and 48 pitches, 28 for strikes.
Making a comeback from Tommy John surgery, Houck allowed a hit, a run and a walk, while striking out four.
For Houck, it was an improvement over his debut on Tuesday, when he retired two batters while allowing two walks and a run, while throwing just eight of his 20 pitches for strikes.
Houck, who was an All-Star starter for Boston in ’24, would join the Red Sox as a reliever for the stretch run and into the postseason.
While Contreras could be back in Boston by Sunday, Houck is likely to pitch next for Triple-A Worcester next week.