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Why is Willson Contreras not playing today vs White Sox? Is the Red Sox star injured? Know reason
Contreras is batting .288 with 23 HRs, 70 RBIs and 104 hits in 105 games, continuing productive season for Boston.
The Boston Red Sox will look to complete a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox when the two clubs meet in the series finale at Fenway Park on Thursday night. However, Boston will have to do so without one of its biggest offensive contributors.
Why is Wilson Contreras not playing tonight?
Willson Contreras has been left out of Thursday's starting lineup after exiting Wednesday's game because of an illness. The All-Star first baseman is currently considered day-to-day, with the club opting to give him additional time to recover.
Contreras was unable to finish Wednesday's contest after beginning to feel unwell during the game.
Manager provides health update
Interim manager Chad Tracy explained the decision to remove him and said, “He’s a little under the weather. Feeling a little sick and then we took some temperatures as the game was going. Temperature started to go up. He started to get a little dizzy, so we thought it was best to get him out of there.”
Later, Red Sox beat reporter Gabrielle Starr shared another update, revealing that interim manager Chad Tracy said Contreras' fever is “not real high” at the moment, although he is still feeling unwell.
The club will monitor his condition over the next few hours to determine whether he could “potentially be available off the bench.”
Contreras' strong season numbers
Despite missing Thursday's matchup, Contreras has enjoyed an outstanding season. Across 105 games, the four-time All-Star is batting .288 with 104 hits, 18 doubles, two triples, 23 home runs, 57 runs scored, 70 RBIs, and three stolen bases.
The veteran joined Boston ahead of the 2026 season after being acquired in a trade.
Who replaces Contreras?
With Contreras unavailable, Nick Sogard will start at first base while also taking over the leadoff spot in Thursday's lineup.
Red Sox lineup
The Red Sox's starting lineup for the series finale features Nick Sogard (1B), Ceddanne Rafaela (CF), Wilyer Abreu (RF), Caleb Durbin (3B), Masataka Yoshida (DH), Jarren Duran (LF), Andruw Monasterio (SS), Adam Seigler (2B), Connor Wong (C), with Ranger Suárez getting the start on the mound.
Before first pitch, Chad Tracy also confirmed that Monasterio and Duran had swapped places in the batting order.
Boston enter in form
Boston enters Thursday's game riding plenty of momentum. Wednesday's victory stretched the club's winning streak to seven games, while the Red Sox have won nine of their last 10 overall. Their 62-51 record leaves them 5.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East standings.
On the mound, left-hander Ranger Suárez will make his 20th start of the season. He owns a 4-3 record with a 3.15 ERA over 100 innings in 2026.
Since returning from the injured list last month, however, Suárez has yet to complete five innings in either of his two outings.
