The Red Sox got a little clarity on Willson Contreras on July 7, and maybe a clue about what’s coming next.
Contreras was added to the American League All-Star roster as a replacement for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a deserved nod for a first baseman who has been rolling through the best offensive season of his career. He’s hitting .284/.378/.542 in 86 games, and with 20 homers already at age 34, he’s on pace to blow past his previous career high of 24, set in 2019.
That All-Star news landed while Boston is still waiting on a ruling in Contreras’ seven-game suspension appeal. The punishment came after a confrontation with Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli sparked a benches-clearing incident.
Cavalli was hit with the same suspension, and both players appealed. Cavalli’s ban has already been reduced to five games, while Contreras and Nate Eaton, who appealed his three-game suspension for brawling with Miles Mikolas, are still waiting for word.
Boston’s All-Star situation had already raised eyebrows when MLB unveiled the 2026 rosters on the evening of the Fourth of July and only two Red Sox - Aroldis Chapman and Ranger Suarez - made the American League team, even though the club had at least two other obvious candidates. Contreras wasn’t one of the original selections, but he’s on the roster now.
The timing matters. The Red Sox have only six games left before the All-Star break, three against the Chicago White Sox and three against the New York Mets. If MLB had simply upheld the original seven-game suspension, Contreras would have been forced to miss the All-Star Game he was just added to.
The league’s delay in ruling has been tied to the July 4 weekend, when the offices were closed. Contreras’ role in the altercation was serious enough to draw extra scrutiny, including throwing his helmet into the crowd of players and striking an unintended target. He also reacted strongly to a racially insensitive comment, but the helmet toss may have been the line that pushed things further.
For now, the All-Star selection points toward at least some reduction in the suspension. However it shakes out, the Red Sox are staring at the possibility of being without one of their most productive hitters for any stretch of time. Contreras has been even hotter lately, posting a .320/.393/.720 slash line over his last seven games, and with Boston’s infield already battered by injuries, losing him would be a real hit to the offense.
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