Breathe easy for a minute, Red Sox fans, because Willson Contreras dodged a bullet. The guy got absolutely drilled in the right hand by a pitch last night, and yeah, it looked gnarly. He even said his hand went numb for a good five minutes. But after the game, thankfully, x-rays came back negative. Total relief, right?
“If Nobody Does Anything About It, I’m Going to Keep Getting Hit”
But hold up. This wasn't just any HBP. This was the 24th time Contreras has been hit this season, TWENTY-FOUR. And he's clearly had it up to here. When asked about it, he paused, like he was counting to seven in his head, before dropping a bomb: “I feel like … I want to say something I can’t say. Let’s leave it at that … If nobody does anything about it, I’m going to keep getting hit. That’s the way I see it. That’s it.” Whoa. You can feel the frustration practically burning through the screen. Even with the negative x-rays, don't count on seeing him in the lineup any time soon, especially since the Sox are, well, not exactly playing for October right now.
Lat Tightness and Rehab Firepower
Contreras wasn't the only injury scare. Aroldis Chapman, their closer, was nowhere to be found in a save situation last night. Turns out he's got some lat tightness. Chad Tracy confirmed they’re “going to be conservative with” him. Tracy added, “It’s getting better, but we’ve got to make sure it gets there. That’s why he wasn’t available tonight.” This is late in the season, you want your closers healthy. On the flip side, some good news on the pitching front: Johan Oviedo made his first rehab appearance, hitting a sweet 98.5 mph on the gun and punching out four batters over 2.1 innings. We love to see that velocity back.
Durbin’s Absolute Iron Will
And then there's Caleb Durbin, a guy playing through what sounds like pure agony. His left pinkie finger has been dislocated for almost three months and reinjured over a month ago. The finger is still locked nearly at a right angle, and he can't even straighten it. Offseason surgery might be needed, but he's on the field right now, grinding. “There really is kind of a joint understanding that we’ll get it looked at at the end of the season if we have to, because whatever the diagnosis is, it’s not going to impact my decision to play at all,” Durbin said. Talk about playing through pain. That's some serious grit right there.
So, the Red Sox are limping toward the finish line, battling through injuries and player frustration. With nothing left to play for, the focus is clearly on getting guys healthy and looking ahead. You gotta wonder if Contreras's comments are a sign of bigger changes coming once the season is done.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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