Frustrated with the home plate umpire’s denial of his request, Willson Contreras stood doing nothing in the batter’s box for six pitches straight. Apparently, he has found a new way to protest against umpires. This time, the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs witnessed the rehabbing Boston Red Sox star’s display of frustration. During a game as part of his minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Portland, Contreras sacrificed his at-bat.

During a fourth-inning plate appearance against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Contreras wanted to apply more pine tar to his bat. He attempted to step out of the batter’s box, but the ump took exception to it.

Home plate umpire Daniel Bytheway stopped Contreras and told the Ponies’ pitcher, Gabe Davis, to continue his outing. Angry with the umpire, Contreras refused to swing at the following pitches, allowing the count to reach three strikes.

For six pitches, Contreras stood inactive in the batter’s box. But before heading to the dugout, he threw his bat to vent the remainder of his frustration.

“Willson Contreras in his second rehab at bat tonight for the @PortlandSeaDogs
just gives up the at bat and strikes out after umpire does not allow him to go back to dugout and I am guessing put more pinetar on bat,” reported Joe Bailey on the X handle, which Jomboy Media reshared.

Analyzing why Contreras acted this way, some fans noted that he didn’t want to swing the bat without pine tar. “His focus is more on his injury and how it feels. He is focusing on what he needs to focus on and can’t risk worsening his injury with a swing on a bad grip.”

Batters are legally allowed to use pine tar to improve their grip, which serves as a safety measure to prevent the bat from slipping. However, the substance may not extend further than 18 inches from the end of the bat handle. There are bat inspection rules, as well.

Opposing managers or umpires can check a bat at any time. However, under modern rules, objections must be raised before the bat is used in a play. If a manager waits until after a player hits a home run to complain about excessive pine tar, the hit cannot be nullified. The umpire will simply confiscate the illegal bat, order the player to clean it or use a new one, and let the play stand. If an umpire notices a bat has pine tar exceeding 18 inches – either on their own or because a manager pointed it out – they will use their discretion to remove the bat from the game.

While Bytheway didn’t confiscate Contreras’ bat, nor did he seem to check it, the question of him not allowing the application remains unclear.

After Contreras’ protest and his throw at the batter’s box, Brooks Brannon picked up the bat and handed it over to another teammate, while the 1B walked into the dugout. Throughout the standoff, though, he seemed to share a few words with the ump.

But this is not the first time Willson Contreras has stood against a call, although this time, it was way more discreet.

Back in August 2025, when playing with the St. Louis Cardinals, Contreras was thrown out by home-plate umpire Derek Thomas after arguing balls and strikes following a called third strike in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Angered by the call, Contreras tossed his bat, which accidentally struck Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown in the face, and threw a bucket of gum/candy onto the field.

Following this incident, the league handed him down a 6-game suspension and an undisclosed fine. Contreras appealed the decision, and MLB ultimately reduced the penalty to a four-game suspension.

Currently, Willson Contreras is rehabbing with Double-A Portland. The Red Sox placed him on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain. He pulled a muscle during a game against the New York Yankees in late August. Contreras was batting .274 with 26 home runs and 79 RBIs for the Red Sox this season.

The 34-year-old has been one of the key offensive pieces behind the Red Sox’s midseason surge. But his left hamstring has been nagging him since mid-August, when the discomfort and tightness first started.

Contreras even played through pain for a few weeks. But on August 31, he was placed on the IL.

On September 8, Contreras was seen running the bases at Fenway Park during a training session, and the following day, Boston’s interim manager Chad Tracy announced his rehab assignment, starting September 10.

Contreras joined Tanner Houck and Johan Oviedo in Portland. The other two Red Sox stars are also rehabbing with the Double-A team.

While Houck is recovering from Tommy John surgery, Oviedo is nearing his return after he suffered a right elbow flexor strain. Oviedo was shut down from throwing for six weeks and has been missing from the big leagues for over five months. The Red Sox placed him on the IL in early April. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Monday, then begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester.

After the Red Sox placed Contreras on the IL, they recalled Mickey Gasper from Triple-A Worcester. He is batting .265 with 9 homers and 23 RBIs for the Red Sox so far.

Coming back to Contreras, he served as the designated hitter for Double-A Portland the day before. He went 2-for-4. But on Saturday, he started at first base as the Sea Dogs won 1-0. The star first baseman can return to Boston as soon as Sunday.

But throughout his career, hamstring strains have troubled Willson Contreras.

Willson Contreras’ hamstring trouble

Willson Contreras made his big league debut in 2016, and his troubles with his hamstring muscles started as soon as the following season.

In 2017, Contreras suffered a moderate right hamstring strain on August 9. He pulled a muscle while running to first against the San Francisco Giants. At the time, he was playing for the Chicago Cubs.

The injury forced him to miss about one month of playing time.

Contreras suffered another right hamstring strain while playing for the Cubs in 2019. The team placed him on the injured list after he started feeling discomfort during an early August game.

After missing 27 games, Contreras returned to action in September 2019.

In his decade-long MLB career, hamstring strains seem to have troubled Willson Contreras the most.

He is facing the same issues with the Red Sox after the Cardinals traded him to Boston ahead of the 2026 season. Moreover, the timing of his injuries is also similar.

This season, he began feeling discomfort in mid-August and was ultimately placed on the IL.

As Contreras is not known for his speed, the pattern of his hamstring strains indicates that the workload of the 162-game-long regular season catches up to him by August. No wonder he wanted to be extra cautious to be there for his team when they need him the most.