Willson Contreras did not ease back into things. Activated from the injured list Sunday ahead of Boston Red Sox's series finale against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park, the first baseman immediately put his surgically scrutinized left hamstring to work on the bases, and he had a blunt explanation for why.

“I had to. I don't want to get booed again,” Contreras said Sunday. “So I made sure my hamstring was 100%. I tested it last night in Portland. Went first to third. Felt good. And that's why I decided to be activated today, because my leg felt great.”

The reference points back to August, when Contreras drew boos at Fenway after failing to run out a ball to first base. He was grabbing at his hamstring during the play, an early sign of the injury that eventually landed him on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 31 and cost him the first two weeks of September.

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Boston felt the absence immediately. Contreras leads the club in home runs with a career-best 26, RBIs with 79, on-base percentage at .384, slugging at .516 and OPS at .900, a mark that ranked fifth among qualified hitters in baseball entering Sunday. Ace Sonny Gray has called him the heart and soul of the team, and the offense sputtered without him while the Red Sox held their spot in the American League wild card race.

Interim manager Chad Tracy said the entire point of the IL stint was giving Contreras confidence in the leg rather than simply waiting out a calendar. He played two rehab games with Double-A Portland, going 2 for 7 with two RBIs, though his Saturday appearance produced an odd moment when he stopped competing in an at bat after plate umpire Daniel Bytheway denied his timeout request, apparently to add pine tar. He struck out looking and tossed his bat toward the plate on the way back to the dugout.

Contreras returned batting cleanup and playing first base. To clear a roster spot, infielder Anthony Seigler was placed on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation after getting hurt on a swing in Saturday's 5-1 win.