Red Sox Star Walks Away After Umpire Rejects Request, Throws Bat in Frustration

Frustrated with the home plate umpire’s denial of his request, Willson Contreras stood doing nothing in the batter’s box for six pitches straight. Apparently, he has found a new way to protest against umpires. This time, the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs witnessed the rehabbing Red Sox star’s display of frustration. During a game as part of his minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Portland, Contreras sacrificed his at-bat.

During a fourth-inning plate appearance against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Contreras wanted to apply more pine tar to his bat. He attempted to step out of the batter’s box, but the home plate umpire took exception to it. Home plate umpire Daniel Bytheway stopped Contreras and told the Ponies’ pitcher, Gabe Davis, to continue his outing. Angry with the umpire, Contreras refused to swing at the following pitches, allowing the count to reach three strikes. For six pitches, Contreras stood inactive in the batter’s box. But before heading to the dugout, he threw his bat to vent the remainder of his frustration.

“Angry with the umpire, Contreras abandoned swinging in the following pitches. He stood at the batter’s box until the strike count went up to three and exited. But before going to the dugout, he threw his bat to vent out the remainder of his frustration,” wrote the X handle.

Willson Contreras is currently rehabbing with Double-A Portland. The Red Sox placed him on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain. He pulled a muscle during a game against the New York Yankees in late August. Contreras was batting .274 with 26 home runs and 79 RBIs for the Red Sox this season.

The 34-year-old has been one of the key offensive pieces behind the Red Sox’s midseason surge. His left hamstring has been nagging him since mid-August, when he first started feeling discomfort and tightness. Contreras even played through pain for a few weeks.

Contreras joined Tanner Houck and Johan Oviedo in Portland. The other two Red Sox stars are also rehabbing with the Double-A team. While Houck is recovering from Tommy John surgery, Oviedo is nearing his return after he suffered a right elbow flexor strain. Oviedo was shut down from throwing for six weeks and has been missing from the big leagues for over five months. The Red Sox placed him on the IL in early April this year. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Monday, then begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester.

After the Red Sox placed Contreras on the IL, they recalled Mickey Gasper from Triple-A Worcester. He is batting .265 with 9 homers and 23 RBIs for the Red Sox so far.

Coming back to Contreras, he served as the designated hitter for Double-A Portland the day before. He went 2-for-4. But on Saturday, he started at first base as the Sea Dogs won 1-0. The star first baseman can return to Boston as soon as Sunday.

Throughout his career, hamstring strains have troubled Willson Contreras. Let’s have a look.

Willson Contreras’ hamstring trouble

Willson Contreras made his big league debut in 2016, and his troubles with his hamstring muscles started as soon as the following season. In 2017, Contreras suffered a moderate right hamstring strain on August 9. He pulled a muscle while running to first against the San Francisco Giants. At the time, he was still playing for the Chicago Cubs. The injury forced him to miss about one month of playing time.

Contreras suffered another right hamstring strain while playing for the Chicago Cubs in 2019. The Cubs placed him on the injured list after he started feeling discomfort during an early August game. After missing 27 games, Contreras returned to action in September 2019.

In his decade-long MLB career, hamstring strains seem to have troubled Willson Contreras the most. He is facing the same issues with the Red Sox after the St. Louis Cardinals traded him to Boston ahead of the 2026 season. Moreover, the timing of his injuries is also similar.

This season, he began feeling discomfort in mid-August and was ultimately placed on the 10-day injured list on August 31. Contreras is also not known for his speed. The pattern of his hamstring strains indicates that the workload of the 162-game-long regular season catches up to him by August.

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