Willson Contreras said Saturday that “it’s been a really tough week,” apologizing after a series of on-field confrontations that included a benches-clearing brawl with the Nationals and ejections in earlier incidents. Contreras is appealing MLB’s seven-game su
Willson Contreras didn’t try to shrug off what the past week and a half has taken out of him.
Speaking with reporters Saturday. the Red Sox first baseman said he’s been carrying more than just what’s happened on the field. “It’s been a really tough week. emotional week for me. ” he said through a translator before a game against the Los Angeles Angels. “I hope that they understand how emotional it has been. and I’ll prove myself with my actions on the field from here moving forward and show the kind of person that I truly am.”.
For Contreras, the storm started far from Fenway Park. Two seven-plus magnitude earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24. killing nearly 3. 000. injuring over 16. 000. and leaving 41. 000 unaccounted for as of Saturday evening. according to Reuters. Contreras said every positive moment he’s had since the earthquakes—including home runs—has been for Venezuela. He has hit three home runs since June 24 and has celebrated them at length.
In the middle of that personal upheaval, the on-field incidents kept coming.
Against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. tempers flared after Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli had choice words for Contreras following a strikeout in the fourth inning. The two went back and forth before benches cleared and a brawl erupted. Contreras, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy, and outfielder Nate Eaton were all ejected.
MLB suspended Contreras and Cavalli for seven games each, and both players have appealed. They are awaiting the league’s response.
Before the Nationals game, Contreras was also ejected earlier in the week. On June 26. first base umpire Nic Lentz threw him out for tapping his helmet and pretending to challenge Lentz after Contreras was called out on a check swing. Contreras did not appear to say anything; he was thrown out for making the gesture.
Also on June 26, the Red Sox and the New York Yankees found themselves embroiled in another tense moment. Contreras was at the center of a separate benches-clearing situation after he went back and forth with Yankees pitcher Will Warren following a walk. Both teams took the field before the situation escalated.
Contreras defended himself after those instances, but Saturday’s message was different—more reflective, more exposed. “Those situations could have been avoided and controlled and handled better,” he said through the translator.
The day before his comments, Cavalli offered an apology of his own. Speaking on Friday, Cavalli said he had “high respect for (Contreras)” and wished him the best. He said he hoped they could move on “and respect each other. ” adding that he and others wanted to “pray over him” and that Contreras understands competition. “I think he understands that we’re both high competitors and it’s part of what makes us who we are. ” Cavalli said. “That’s nothing to shy away from, and we want to do it in a respectful way.”.
Healey reported that Contreras cried as he apologized, clearly distraught by what he has been dealing with.
Contreras will now look at the next week through a different lens: rebuilding his standing in the game while the appeal plays out. He will try to make himself a 2026 MLB All-Star before the game on July 14. He was left off the American League’s initial roster, which was revealed on Saturday night.
The timing adds to the pressure. Saturday. against the Los Angeles Angels. Contreras made an early statement at the plate with a three-run homer in the first inning to put Boston ahead. His offensive season has been among the best of his career in 2026. and he’s been a key force in the AL’s lineup—he was expected to be in the conversation for what would be his fourth All-Star nod.
Willson Contreras Red Sox suspension appeal MLB Nationals Washington benches-clearing Venezuela earthquakes Cade Cavalli Chad Tracy Nate Eaton Nic Lentz