Dylan Cease (3-3, 2.91) takes the ball for Toronto opposite Boston rookie Payton Tolle (3-3, 2.70) at 6:45 PM ET. Cease's last outing was a 6-inning, 11-strikeout gem against the Phillies that reportedly tied his career high for whiffs generated, and Tolle's been arguably the brightest spot of Boston's season — though he ran into a wall in his last start, getting tagged for 4 earned on 9 hits in Tampa.
Bigger story for Toronto: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is expected back in the starting lineup Tuesday after a back issue limited him to a pinch-hit appearance Sunday. That's a real boost for a Blue Jays offense that just dropped 2 of 3 at home to the Yankees and got blown out 8-3 in the finale. Andres Gimenez is still day-to-day with wrist soreness, so the middle infield could look patched together again.
Boston isn't exactly riding momentum either. The Sox dropped Sunday's series finale 6-4 to Texas after taking the first two against the Rangers, and they're 29-40 with an interim manager in Chad Tracy still trying to steady the rotation. Tolle's been the steadiest arm they've got — he's allowed 3 runs or fewer in 10 of his 11 starts — but the Rays did show a blueprint for how to grind him out.
- Day-To-DayVladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B — Guerrero (back) was available to pinch hit Sunday and will likely rejoin the starting lineup Tuesday against the Red Sox, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayAndres Gimenez SS — Gimenez was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees due to left wrist soreness.
- Day-To-DayGeovanny Jesus Planchart C — no
- Day-To-DayChay Yeager RP — Yeager will undergo season-ending UCL surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger RF — The Blue Jays are hoping to send Barger (elbow) on a rehab assignment next week, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILDaulton Varsho CF — The Blue Jays placed Varsho on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 10, with left wrist inflammation.
- 10-Day-ILLenyn Sosa 2B — Sosa went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and an additional RBI on Saturday against the Twins in an 11-4 victory.
- developmental listFernando Perez P
- Day-To-DayMickey Gasper C — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said that Gasper is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers due to slight groin tightness, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — Anthony continues to experience pain in his injured right hand when swinging, though he still believes he is progressing in his recovery, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILNick Sogard 3B — Sogard (oblique) told reporters Friday that he plans to start swinging a bat Monday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- developmental listNoah Song SP — Song (elbow) was reinstated from Double-A Portland's 7-day injured list Friday and made his 2025 debut for the affiliate in relief Sunday, striking out one and issuing one walk over a scoreless inning.
- 15-Day-ILJovani Moran RP — The Red Sox placed Moran on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Friday, with left elbow inflammation, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet clarified Friday that his lat strain is asymptomatic, but his shoulder is taking longer than expected to recover, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports. The left-hander also said he doesn't expect to come off the injured list until after the All-Star break.
- 60-Day-ILPatrick Sandoval SP — Sandoval (biceps) will make his next rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, MLB.com reports.
Injury report is ugly on both sides. Toronto is without Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, Bowden Francis, Anthony Santander, Daulton Varsho and Addison Barger. Boston's rotation is missing Garrett Crochet (out until after the All-Star break), Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval, plus Roman Anthony and Trevor Story on the position-player side. Tolle making history every fifth day is the only reason the Sox rotation is functional.
Stylistically this should be a low-scoring rock fight. Cease is leading the AL in strikeouts and is fresh off a 98-mph-in-the-6th-inning outing, while Tolle's command and quality-start rate have been the engine of a thin Red Sox staff. Total sitting at 7.5 reflects exactly that — two arms who can shorten a night in a hurry.