With suspension on hold, Willson Contreras back in middle of Red Sox’ lineup

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Soon, Willson Contreras will have to sit out at least several games as a result of his actions in the benches-clearing brouhaha with the Nationals on Tuesday.

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But not Friday, and not this weekend.

As he awaits the appeal of his seven-game suspension, Contreras was for the series opener against the Angels where he always is: batting cleanup and playing first base.

He didn’t want to say much on his pending punishment, so as to not complicate the process, but said he expects to hear early this week when his appeal will be heard. MLB’s offices were closed Friday for Independence Day weekend.

Contreras also said it won’t be hard to focus in the meantime.

“I’m looking forward to playing with my guys,” he said. “We are looking to win, for sure. We want to do our best to have three good games here in Anaheim. It’s not my first time going through the process. I’m not proud of it, but I can’t change the past.”

Interim manager Chad Tracy expressed a similar sentiment.

“Let that process play out and see what comes down to the pike, whenever it comes down the pike,” he said. “Let’s take care of today, and then we’ll take care of tomorrow, the next day. Whenever that comes, we’ll take care of that and get it figured out. So, no, I’m not letting it hang over my head. Just got to take care of today.”

Nate Eaton, who is appealing his three-game suspension, likewise was in the lineup, manning right field and batting leadoff.

On Tuesday at Fenway Park, the Nationals’ Cade Cavalli taunted Contreras after a strikeout, yelling, “Sit down, boy.” Contreras tried to charge the mound and throw his batting helmet at Cavalli as both dugouts and bullpens emptied.

Cavalli also was suspended seven games. Miles Mikolas, who fought Eaton, got five games. They are appealing as well.

According to the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players’ union, MLB is allowed to consider a player’s prior discipline for on-field conduct when determining discipline — a factor that may not work in Contreras’s favor.

Late last season, Contreras, then with the Cardinals, threw a fit after a strikeout. He argued the call, got ejected, and threw his bat and a bucket of gum onto the field. What originally was a six-game suspension (for an Aug. 25 incident) was reduced to four upon appeal (on Sept. 5).

This time, MLB decided to set the initial bar one game higher.

“I hope for a reduced sentence,” Tracy said. “I think I can say that.”

However long Contreras’s suspension eventually is, the Red Sox will miss their most productive bat.

“Whether it’s this situation or if he got banged up and rolled an ankle or whatever — if he’s out of lineup, yeah, he’s a big part of the offense,” Tracy said.

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Connelly Early will seek a second update next week, Tracy said, after being diagnosed with posterior elbow inflammation but no structural damage.

“Most guys do it when you’re dealing with an arm,” Tracy said. “I think most guys, if you have the right to do it, they want to do it and make sure that they get multiple looks.”

Because of offdays Thursday and Monday, the Red Sox can wait as late as Saturday to insert Early’s replacement into the rotation.

Lefthander Patrick Sandoval is “in play,” per Tracy, as long as his rehab start Saturday (about 70 pitches) goes well.

Success there would make him an option late next week, probably against the Mets Friday or Saturday.

“We’ve got to make sure he gets out of that outing healthy, feels good,” Tracy said. “And then once he does that, then we can have more productive conversations around what we might do with that.”

The Red Sox have taken on another intriguing pitching project: Sam McWilliams, a 30-year-old righthanded reliever who has never pitched in the majors — but possesses a triple-digit fastball and may have his command problems under control.

He signed a minor league contract and was assigned to Triple-A Worcester.

McWilliams had been with Tijuana in the Mexican League. In 27 appearances, he had a 3.04 ERA and 42 strikeouts (to 12 walks) in 26⅔ innings. 

Although he hasn’t made it to the majors, McWilliams has bounced around since being drafted as a high schooler in 2014: Phillies, Diamondbacks, Rays, Padres, Mets, Reds, Cubs, Brewers, in addition to stints in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

Each has been intrigued by his high-powered fastball, which still was reaching 100 miles per hour in Mexico this season. McWilliams’s problem: a Triple-A average of 1.8 strikeouts per walk, lower than it should be because he walked so many batters. With Tijuana, that ratio was up to 3.5.

In that sense, the signing is similar to that of Tyron Guerrero. He had no track record of major league success, mostly because of strike-throwing issues despite elite velocity, when he joined the Sox on a minors deal over the offseason. Now, he is one of their high-leverage bullpen arms.

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