Monday night's series opener at Coors Field is set for 6:40 PM MT, and the probable starters haven't been firmed up yet — which feels on-brand for two clubs sitting a combined 57-90. Whoever Chad Tracy and Warren Schaeffer roll out, the matchup is going to live or die on whether Boston's bats finally show signs of life at altitude.
The Red Sox are an absolute mess at the plate right now. They were swept at home by the Blue Jays over the weekend, dropped 4 in a row, and have scored just 22 runs in June — the fewest in the American League. Tracy has publicly pointed to chase rates and an inability to cash in runners, and he's said he doesn't see any radical lineup changes coming. Mickey Gasper is still hitting leadoff. That's where we are.
The Rockies, meanwhile, just split 6 with the Cubs and put up 23 runs in a single game against the A's last week. The headline name is Hunter Goodman, who has 21 homers — 8 of them in the first 18 days of June — and is suddenly being talked about in Cal Raleigh terms. If Boston's pitching staff is going to give in the zone, Goodman is the guy who turns this into a laugher.
Injuries are the other story, and they're ugly on both sides. Boston is without Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Trevor Story, Triston Casas and Roman Anthony. Colorado is down Kris Bryant, Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck, Mickey Moniak and Chase Dollander. Both rotations are basically duct tape at this point.
- 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 (finger) underwent a follow-up MRI on Tuesday that came back clean, but he's not yet cleared to swing a bat, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald 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-ILPatrick Sandoval SP — Sandoval (biceps) went three innings, allowing one earned run on one hit and one walk while striking out four Wednesday for Double-A Portland, reports Christopher Smith of MassLive.com.
- 60-Day-ILRomy Gonzalez 1B — Gonzalez (shoulder) went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run for Double-A Portland on Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder/lat) began throwing a plyometric ball Tuesday as the first step of his throwing program, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayBrayan Castillo RP — The Rockies announced Monday that Castillo is dealing with right lat tightness and has been shut down from throwing while undergoing treatment for the injury, TheDNVR.com reports.
- Day-To-DayCase Williams SP — Williams is currently slowed by a stress reaction in his right triceps, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJared Thomas CF — The Rockies announced Monday that Thomas hasn't been participating in spring training while he recovers from offseason surgery to address a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, TheDNVR.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrenton Doyle CF — Doyle (oblique) worked in the batting cage Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJordan Beck LF — Beck (hamstring) stretched and did running drills prior to Tuesday's game against the Cubs, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILMickey Moniak LF — Moniak (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTanner Gordon RP — Gordon (0-1) took the loss Sunday, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk over three-plus innings against San Francisco. He struck out two.
- 60-Day-ILChase Dollander SP — Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said Friday that Dollander will likely undergo surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.
The macro read is simple: this is a Coors Field series between two sub-.500 clubs, one of which can't score and one of which can't pitch. Three games, mile-high air, 2 lineups full of guys auditioning for roles in 2027. Monday is the opener of what should be a strange, run-environment-dependent series.