Red Sox Willson Contreras injury lends credence to wild Yankees playoff rotation rumor

The Yankees-Red Sox Wild Card Series is only four days away, and there are still so many lineup questions on both sides. Entering the weekend, it wasn't even certain that New York and Boston would be the ALWC matchup! There remained a slim chance that these two clubs would avoid each other in the first round entirely. But, with things settled after Game 1 against the Cubs on Friday, we've now got some very interesting personnel narratives to dive into.

On the Red Sox side of things, Willson Contreras' availability for the Wild Card Series is in serious doubt. Since being struck on the hand with a fastball on September 17, Contreras has been doing everything he can to heal, but his body might simply need more time. Luckily for Boston, X-rays revealed no fracture for Contreras, but there's still significant inflammation and a deep bone bruise.

As of Thursday, Contreras wasn't able to swing without pain. There were reports of him choking up at his locker as he dealt with the reality of not being available for the ALWC. So yes -- there seems to be a very real chance that Contreras doesn't play in the series, which leads us to the Yankees side of the equation.

Yankees rumored to be considering Max Fried in Game 1 of ALWC against a Red Sox lineup missing Willson Contreras

If Contreras is out of the picture, the Red Sox's lineup is suddenly missing its most potent right-handed bat. This would ostensibly give the Yankees a greater advantage with a left-handed starter on the mound in Game 1 (in the event that Contreras decides to play later in the series). And according to fresh rumors, New York is indeed considering leaning into that advantage and putting lefty Max Fried on the mound for Game 1.

Jimmy "Jomboy" O'Brien even characterized the Fried-Game 1 plan as "seemingly locked into place", adding that Cam Schlittler would be slated for Game 2 as part of the plan. Jomboy also relayed that he's heard that Giancarlo Stanton will be on the playoff roster, which makes one re-consider the veracity of all of these rumors. Even so, the Fried part in all of this makes sense, especially considering Contreras.

So what do Boone and Matt Blake actually have in mind for Game 1? It's worth noting that Fried has been historically dominant against the Red Sox, boasting a 1.10 ERA in five starts against Boston since he's been with the Yankees.

Schlittler is New York's undeniable ace at the moment and the imminent AL Cy Young, but the Yankees might seriously mess with the Red Sox by throwing Fried out there for Game 1 instead. Doing so would force Boston to employ their iffy platoon depth against a pitcher who has owned the Red Sox every time he's put on his cleats in recent memory.

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