Ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners, the Boston Red Sox offense was dealt a massive blow as the team announced that All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. 

The loss of Contreras comes at a brutal time for the Red Sox offense, which has struggled over the last week, hitting just .203/.293/.322/.615 while going 3-4 on a seven-game road trip in Miami and New York. 

With Contreras's bat out of the lineup, these players need to step up to fill his production:

It’s been a rough start to a Red Sox career for the three-time All-Star catcher as he’s hitting just .170/.254/.250/.504 in 15 games since being dealt to Boston at the trade deadline. What has been most concerning about Rutschman’s slow start is the strikeout numbers, as he’s punched out in 25.4 percent of his plate appearances, an 11.3 percent increase from his time with the Orioles. 

If the Red Sox offense is going to stay afloat in Contreras’ absence, they’ll need their big-ticket deadline acquisition to return to form. 

Anthony made his long-awaited return to the Red Sox lineup in Sunday’s loss to the Yankees, going 2-for-4 with a double. The 22-year-old entered the season with lofty expectations to carry the Boston offense. As Contreras emerged as the heartbeat of the Red Sox lineup throughout Anthony’s absence, the expectation was that there would be less pressure placed on the shoulders of the budding star. However, with Contreras now on the shelf, he’ll once again be looked at to carry the offense. 

After earning the first All-Star nod of his career, Rafaela has hit a bit of a rough stretch at the plate, hitting just .242/.266/.290/.556 in his last 14 games. The rough patch for the 25-year-old has been, in part, thanks to a regression back to pre-2026 swing decisions, chasing pitches outside the zone at a higher rate than earlier in the year. 

Rafaela’s struggles at the plate have carried over into the base paths, where he ran into two costly outs in the Red Sox' 1-0 series-opening loss on Friday night in the Bronx.

After just 24 hours in Worcester, the hot-hitting utility man is back with the big league club after being recalled to take Contreras’ spot on the active roster. Gasper was an unfortunate victim of the Red Sox's current roster situation, getting sent down to make room for Anthony’s activation. Prior to being sent down ahead of Sunday’s loss, Gasper was amidst the best stretch of his major league career, hitting .423/.595/1.115/1.710 in 11 games after being recalled when Masataka Yoshida hit the injured list. 

Gasper will handle first base duties in Contreras’ absence. In 39.2 innings at first base in his career, he has posted a -1 defensive runs saved, outs above average, and fielding run value. 

The Sox will look to turn the page on the rough weekend in the Bronx when they welcome the struggling Mariners to Fenway Park for a three-game set that gets underway on Monday night. Payton Tolle (8-6, 3.09 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite George Kirby (9-10, 4.02 ERA) for Seattle. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. ET.