Willson Contreras is currently on the injured list with a hamstring strain, but he took batting practice on the field on Tuesday.
He is eligible to come off the injured list on Thursday, but it's unclear whether he will need to go on a rehab assignment. He has played in 125 games this year and has only been out for a little over a week.
"There is a sentiment that he might want to go play a little bit, but we have not confirmed and (are) not opposed if he changes his mind,” interim manager Chad Tracy said on Tuesday, per The Boston Globe's Tim Healey.
It sounds like the Red Sox are still undecided on what they will do with Contreras, and that the decision may be in his hands. The Red Sox will want him at 100% for the final stretch of games before the postseason. The Red Sox have a seven-game lead in the wild card race and are just two games back of the New York Yankees for the top wild card spot.
Getting Contreras back could be huge for the Red Sox as they look to pass the Yankees in the final 17 games. If he goes on a rehab assignment, it's just more days the team will need to get by without him. If the team was locked in to the No. 5 seed, sending Contreras on a rehab assignment would not do any harm.
There is also an outside chance that the Red Sox can win the American League East, and the sooner Contreras is back in the lineup, the better if they want a chance at that.