Willson Contreras is supposed to be quietly getting his legs back under him in Double-A. Instead, he turned a Saturday night game at Hadlock Field into the most-talked-about moment of the baseball weekend.
In his second rehab start with the Portland Sea Dogs, Contreras stood completely still in the batter’s box for six consecutive pitches — not a single swing — took six called strikes, and then flung his bat back toward home plate as he walked away. The whole thing started because home plate umpire Daniel Bytheway refused to grant him time to apply more pine tar to his bat.
Pitch by Pitch: What Happened in the Fourth Inning
It was Saturday, September 12, Portland hosting the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Contreras stepped out of the box to add pine tar — completely legal under MLB rules, which allow pine tar up to 18 inches from the handle. Bytheway denied the time request and told pitcher Gabe Davis to keep going.
Contreras’s response: he didn’t move. Six pitches. Six called strikes. Bat never left his shoulder. When the at-bat was over, he tossed the bat back toward the plate in plain view of the crowd. No ejection was reported.
Portland won 1-0. Contreras finished 0-for-3, though he reached on an error in the sixth inning. His bat was never inspected or confiscated, which puts Bytheway’s call in a gray area. As of September 13, MLB had not announced any investigation or discipline.
Why This Matters: Contreras Isn’t Just Any Rehab Guy
The Venezuelan catcher was placed on the injured list on August 31 with a left hamstring strain suffered against the Yankees — right when he was Boston’s most dangerous hitter. His 2026 numbers before going down:
- 517 plate appearances
- 26 home runs, 79 RBI — both team highs
- .274 AVG / .900 OPS
- xwOBA: .374
- Exit velocity: 89.7 mph average
- Barrel rate: 13.4%
- Hard-hit rate: 43.6%
- Bat speed: 77 mph average
Statcast ranks him in the 96th percentile in bat speed and the 94th percentile in xwOBA across all of MLB — elite marks by any measure. His barrel rate sits at the 89th percentile. The two weak spots: squared-up rate (6th percentile) and contact/whiff rate (14th percentile).
The Red Sox entered September 13 at 80-68, fighting for the fourth American League Wild Card spot. They need Contreras healthy and locked in, not generating controversy in a Double-A ballpark.
He’s Done This Before
This isn’t the first time Contreras’s temper has made news. In August 2025, while with the Cardinals, he was suspended six games — reduced to four on appeal — after being ejected in a game against the Pirates. That incident involved an argument with umpire Derek Thomas and his bat accidentally making contact with hitting coach Brant Brown.
The Portland episode is different in form: no ejection, no physical contact, no confrontation. But the pattern is the same — when Contreras feels he’s been treated unfairly, he makes sure everyone knows it.
What’s Next
His first rehab outing on Friday had been encouraging: 2-for-4 with two RBI as the DH. Reports from Sunday indicate he’s still on track to rejoin Boston within days. The drama at Hadlock Field was real, but it hasn’t changed the team’s plans. The Red Sox want their cleanup hitter back — pine tar episode and all.
