Passionate Willson Contreras hopes his fire, leadership can ignite a renewed Red Sox’ playoff push

NEW YORK — Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs for the Red Sox in a 5-3 victory against the Yankees on Friday night.

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But it was an error, of all things, that truly spoke to the value he has added to the roster.

With two outs and the Sox leading by two runs in the seventh inning, Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice hit a foul popup behind first base. Contreras settled under the ball but was jostled by second baseman Andruw Monasterio and dropped it.

Monasterio, starting at second base for only the second time this season, should have backed off and let Contreras make the play. But Contreras was charged with an undeserved error because the ball popped out of his glove.

Rice could have tied the game with one swing, but Danny Coulombe struck him out.

“That’s a big situation,” interim manager Chad Tracy said Saturday before Game 2 of the Series was postponed by rain. “Fortunately, we got the strikeout.”

Contreras threw his hat and glove when he returned to the dugout, then tipped over a cooler full of sports drinks. He was furious that the Sox could have lost the game for failing to make such a simple play.

“That’s Willson,” teammate Wilyer Abreu said Saturday before the second game of the series was rained out. “He wants the game played the right way. He brings that kind of energy to the field every day.”

In what has been a sideways season for the Sox, Contreras has 13 home runs and 38 runs batted in. His .934 OPS was the sixth-best in baseball through Friday. That’s higher than Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge.

At 34, Contreras could have the best offensive season of a career that has included three All-Star selections.

Contreras drove in his first run on Friday night on a mis-hit ball in front of the plate that bounced just enough to become a single. Then he belted a 419-foot home run to left field in the fifth inning and flipped his bat.

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His daily hunger to win isn’t kept under wraps. The last-place Sox could use more of that across their roster if they are ever going to make this season more than a slog.

“Very passionate,” Tracy said. “Willson loves to play baseball, and he loves to win . . . he plays very hard.”

Abreu didn’t get to know Contreras until they were both in a home run derby in Venezuela last December. The Sox obtained Contreras from the Cardinals three weeks later. Then they played together in the World Baseball Classic.

“We started our relationship then, and we’re very close,” Abreu said “The consistency of his work before the game is pretty cool. He’s not a guy who talks too much. But with how he acts, he shows you everything that he’s feeling. That’s how he leads.”

Contreras is under contract through 2027, with the Sox holding a $17.5 million option for 2026. Otherwise, Contreras would receive a $5 million buyout.

Contreras negotiated a full no-trade clause in his contract when he signed with the Cardinals in 2022. If the Red Sox become sellers before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, that could complicate how they proceed.

Contreras, who recently celebrated reaching 10 years of major league service time, won a World Series as a rookie with the 2016 Cubs. His last postseason was with the 2020 Cubs, a Wild Card Series loss against the Marlins.

He wants another shot and is pushing to get the Sox back into contention. Abreu believes that’s possible.

“We’re improving offensively,” he said. “We have to play better at home — everybody knows that — but we can do that. Willson is one of the guys who is trying to get the team going. He really cares about how we’re playing as a group.”

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Sometimes that means an innocent cooler pays the price.