​BOSTON — The Red Sox are on the brink of losing their most feared hitter at a time when they can least afford it. Following Tuesday’s bench-clearing brawl in the bottom of the fourth, Willson Contreras faces an MLB-mandated suspension that’s unlikely to be brief. The timing matters even more because Contreras became the first player in franchise history to be ejected in consecutive games, a factor that isn’t likely to help his case. Still, the key takeaway is that Tuesday marked the fifth time this season—roughly half a season—in which benches have cleared and Contreras has been at the center of the action. Some incidents stemmed from him being hit by pitches, but Contreras stands close to the plate and has consistently been among the league leaders in being hit by pitches; last year he was struck 25 times, and he’s on pace to top that figure this season with 14 already midway through.
MLB will likely weigh his history when determining the suspension. This year alone, he has been the common denominator in multiple on-field dust-ups. Although he wasn’t disciplined for the first four incidents, the recurring bench-clearing episodes tied to Contreras will be considered as the league rules his fate. The timing could not be worse for the Red Sox, who, prior to Tuesday, had won five straight and seven of 10. After a strong stretch into the season’s third month, they were beginning to show life again in the past two weeks. Now they head into a nine-game, three-city road trip later this week without their top hitter.
Contreras has been the backbone of a lineup that has otherwise struggled since Opening Day. He leads the Sox in homers, RBIs, extra-base hits, total bases, and slugging percentage, even though there isn’t another hitter of significant consequence behind him—Jarren Duran has recently been placed as the No. 5 hitter but has cooled since a hot May and sits under .200 for the season. Without Contreras, Boston would be contending with the Angels and Royals for the worst record in the league; with him, they’ve shown glimpses of a possible late-season push toward playoff contention in a Wild Card scenario that still requires being within shouting distance of .500.
Beyond his numbers, Contreras has emerged as the team’s de facto leader. Early in the season, he sensed energy issues in the clubhouse and spoke out to his teammates. He also energized the field last Friday in the Yankees series’ second game, later saying the rivalry could use a jolt of adrenaline. “I think it’s good for baseball,” Contreras said of the on-field confrontation he helped ignite, adding, “It makes baseball fun.”