Willson Contreras was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Boston Red Sox in the offseason, meaning this will be the first time he’ll play outside of the NL Central. The former catcher, who came through the ranks of the Chicago Cubs before moving to St. Louis, is slated to play a big role for Boston in 2026 and beyond.
Contreras is coming off a 2025 season in which he hit .257 with a .791 OPS across 563 plate appearances in 135 regular-season games. This was the first time he played more than 130 regular-season contests since 2018, when he featured in a career-high 138, but on the downside, 2025 was the first time he posted an OPS below .800 since 2021.
Contreras projects differently in fantasy for the upcoming 2026 MLB season because a lot has changed for him in terms of projection and upside after he was traded from St. Louis to Boston.
Wilson Contreras’ Fantasy Baseball 2026 Projection
The first thing to understand regarding Contreras’ fantasy upside for the 2026 season is that he’ll have a lot of potential to be a run-producer. He’s expected to feature predominantly in the cleanup spot, and with Jarren Duran, Trevor Story, and Roman Anthony likely to hit in the first three spots of the batting order, Contreras should be up for plenty of RBI opportunities.
Another thing to consider is that Contreras is a pull-happy hitter who should thrive at Fenway Park, largely considered the league’s second-best hitters’ park behind Coors Field. Even though his numbers from recent seasons don’t reflect that, he was playing in one of the most pitcher-happy parks in Busch Stadium.
If he can revert to the hitting tendencies he showed during his Cubs tenure, he’s well-positioned to maximize the “Green Monster,” which is a dream scenario for right-handed mashers like Contreras. He hit at least 20 homers in the final three seasons in Chicago in which he played at least 100 games, while posting a slugging percentage of at least .438 each time.
The Red Sox will try to keep Contreras’ bat in the lineup at all times, so he figures to split time between first base and DH, although he’s expected to garner most of his playing time at the former. The positional eligibility is a plus for Contreras, but the fact that he doesn’t have eligibility at catcher anymore limits his upside a bit. Nonetheless, Contreras is a player worth targeting as a mid-round pick if you’re looking for a veteran to add depth to your lineup.
Contreras’ numbers might not be eye-popping, but he’s a proven producer and will have strong protection in the lineup. He’s a player worth keeping close tabs on as the season progresses because playing with an improved lineup and in a park that will play to his strengths could make him perform above his ADP.
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