Just as the Boston Red Sox were beginning to get healthy with the returns of Roman Anthony, Garrett Whitlock and Trevor Story, the team caught the injury bug yet again. In an effort to get their roster as healthy as possible ahead of the postseason, reliever Tyron Guerrero, first baseman Willson Contreras and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela joined infielder Curtis Mead, reliever Justin Slaten and designated hitter Masataka Yoshida among others on the injured list. 

Ahead of Wednesday night’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy issued a number of updates on injured Boston players.  Here’s what you need to know: 

The Red Sox lineup has been without its All-Star first baseman since Aug. 31 as he continues to manage a lingering hamstring injury. After the 34-year-old was spotted taking batting practice ahead of Tuesday night's loss, Tracy told reporters that Contreras would join Double-A Portland on Friday night to kick off a rehab assignment that would last one or two games. 

Contreras has undoubtedly been Boston's best hitter throughout the course of the season. The veteran is having the best season of his 11-year career, leading the team in home runs (26), RBI (79), on-base percentage (.384), slugging percentage (.516) and OPS (.900). His return will be a massive boost for a Boston offense that has scored just 39 runs in his absence. 

The Red Sox big-ticket trade deadline acquisition has been in and out of the Boston lineup over the last two weeks as he continues to nurse a nagging elbow injury. After missing the entirety of Boston's series against the Seattle Mariners, Rutschman starred in his return to Baltimore, playing in three of the four games at Oriole Park. However, Rutschman has been out of the lineup for all three games of the Red Sox series against the Angels. 

Tracy told reporters that Rutschman received a cortisone injection in his elbow on Monday. The team hopes he'll be back in the lineup for Boston's series opener against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. Rutschman has struggled to a slash line of 188/.253/.391/.645 in 19 games since joining the Red Sox. 

The All-Star center fielder landed on the injured list ahead of Sunday's series finale in Baltimore after missing the first three games of the series with a sore quad. According to Tracy, Rafaela will undergo testing on Wednesday to see if he can begin a more intense running progression after Thursday's day off. 

The 30-year-old right-hander made his first rehab appearance on Tuesday night with Double-A Portland, allowing one earned run on zero hits across 0.2 innings of relief while walking two as he looks to return from 2025 Tommy John surgery. Tracy noted that Houck was frustrated by his inability to find the strike zone but otherwise felt good. He'll join Contreras back in Portland on Friday for his second appearance, where he is expected to throw 40-45 pitches. 

The 2025 American League Cy Young Award runner-up threw a bullpen session at Fenway Park ahead of Tuesday night's loss against Los Angeles. "He was good, felt good, I think he felt good today," Tracy said. "He's on track for another pen on Friday. Crochet has been on the injured list since April 26 with left shoulder inflammation. While the 27-year-old won't have enough time to build back up to a starter's workload, he is hoping to build up to a multi-inning relief role, with imaging on his foot ahead of the playoffs. 

The hard-throwing right-hander has been on the injured list since Sept. 1 with right shoulder inflammation. When the team initially placed Guerrero on the 15-day injured list, they were hopeful that he would only require a minimum stay, and, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo, that appears to be the case, as Guerrero is slated to throw a live bullpen on Saturday afternoon. 

According to Cotillo, Tracy told reporters that outfielder Eli White will undergo imaging on his foot, which is sore after it got caught in the grates along the centerfield wall on Tuesday night. Cotillo noted that the injury could land White on the injured list. The 32-year-old outfielder had been performing well in Rafaela's absence, going 9-for-27 over his last eight games. 

The 33-year-old designated hitter has been out of the lineup since Aug. 16 after exiting Boston's Aug. 15 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a left hamstring strain. According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, Tracy said Yoshida is "still a ways off," as he has only begun walking on a treadmill. 

The Red Sox made the first move of the trade deadline season, acquiring the 25-year-old in a deal with the Washington Nationals. In a stroke of brutal luck, Mead was hit by a pitch in his second at-bat in a Boston uniform, breaking his wrist and landing him on the injured list on July 29. According to Cotillo, Tracy "tempered expectations" on Mead's return, as he's still experiencing wrist soreness that has kept him from starting a swing progression. 

The Red Sox will look to kick off the penultimate homestand of the season with a series win as they take on the Los Angeles Angels in the finale of a three-game set on Wednesday night. Jake Bennett (9-6, 3.34 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite Ryan Johnson (3-8, 5.17 ERA) for Los Angeles. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 6:45 p.m. ET.