CHICAGO – First baseman Willson Contreras, expected to participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday and for the AL All-Star team on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, won’t take his next swing for the Red Sox until July 17 in the second game of a day-night doubleheader against the Rays on the first day coming out of the All-Star break.
This after MLB ruled prior to Thursday’s game in Chicago that the seven-game suspension Contreras received for his role in a benches-clearing fracas between the Red Sox and Nationals on June 30, had been reduced to five games on appeal.
Contreras was forced out of Wednesday night’s 5-0 victory over the White Sox with a left foot contusion suffered after he fouled a ball hard off the top of his left foot in the top of the third inning and wouldn’t have played on Thursday anyway.
The announcement that Contreras would start his reduced suspension on Thursday came less than an hour before the first pitch between the Red Sox and White Sox.
While Contreras will do everything he can to get healthy enough to participate in the Derby and the All-Star Game, he no longer has to rush to get back into the Boston lineup for this weekend’s three-game series in New York against the Mets.
Though Contreras, known for his toughness, initially stayed in the game on Wednesday, he was hobbling at first base while trying to play defense and exited one batter into the bottom of the third. On Thursday, his foot was wrapped and he was still limping.
“So when I'm in pain, that's the only way I'm coming off the field,” Contreras said Wednesday night. “And it's something that I thought we should take care of right away and not extend it.”
Contreras was asked on Wednesday if he was concerned about the injury.
“Not really,” Contreras said. “I think it's day to day. I'm not concerned about anything worse than just a bruise. We’re going day to day. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow when I wake up.”
Contreras didn’t undergo X-rays.
“No. I think because of how well he was moving around when he went back inside, we didn't do that for now,” said interim manager Chad Tracy.
In the June 30 game against the Nats, righty Cade Cavalli struck Contreras out and shouted, “Sit down, boy.” Earlier in the game, Contreras walked in front of Cavalli and brushed him slightly after retreating from the bases to the dugout at the end of an inning.
Contreras took great exception to Cavalli shouting at him after the strikeout and a melee ensued. As the benches emptied, Contreras fired his helmet in the direction of Cavalli.
Cavalli was very remorseful about the incident, and said using the word “boy” was not meant to disparage Contreras in any way, stating that he used it purely in a competitive context without intending any racial slur. Following the incident, Cavalli, whose suspension was also reduced from seven to five games earlier this week, pledged to eliminate the word "boy" from his on-field vocabulary.