Willson Contreras Hobbled Hours After Home Run Derby Announcement

Willson Contreras left Wednesday night’s game against the White Sox after fouling a ball off his left foot in the third inning. The timing could not have been worse. Just hours earlier, MLB announced the Red Sox first baseman had accepted an invitation to Monday’s Home Run Derby in Philadelphia.

Contreras stayed in the at-bat after taking the pitch off his foot. He flew out to center field. But Boston pulled him from the game before the bottom of the third, and the team later called it a left foot contusion.

The video circulating on social media showed Contreras dropping to the ground in obvious pain before walking off the field. Talkin’ Baseball posted the clip on X with a simple update: He was done for the night.

Contreras, 34, has been the engine of the Red Sox lineup this season. He entered Wednesday hitting .287 with 20 home runs and a .926 OPS. That production earned him his fourth All-Star nod — he came in as an injury replacement for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — and made the Derby invite a no-brainer for the league.

What This Means for Monday

The Red Sox training staff will spend the next few days monitoring swelling and mobility. A bruise on a hitter’s front foot is not a season-ender, but it can mess with timing and torque, especially in a home run contest where every swing matters. Even a minor issue can throw off a guy trying to generate power from the ground up.

Boston has not said whether Contreras will still participate in the Derby. The team is likely to wait and see how the foot responds over the next 48 hours before making any call.

Bigger Picture for Boston

The Red Sox are trying to claw their way back to .500. They led Chicago 5-0 in the ninth inning Wednesday night, and a win would put them six games under. They need Contreras healthy not just for a fun Monday night in Philly but for the stretch run. He has been their most consistent bat all year, and the lineup looks thin without him.

For now, it’s a waiting game. Contreras is scheduled to fly to Philadelphia this weekend for All-Star festivities. Whether he takes batting practice with a green light or limps through it depends on how ugly that bruise gets overnight.