First pitch is 7:05 PM ET in the Bronx, and the pitching matchup is the headline: Sonny Gray (6-1, 3.06) against Ryan Weathers (2-3, 3.52). Gray hasn't pitched at Yankee Stadium since his pinstripe days, which adds a layer to an already lopsided staff comparison.
Gray is in genuine All-Star form — 1 earned run over 6 innings with 7 strikeouts in his last start against Cleveland, a 9-1 Boston win. Weathers, meanwhile, ran into the buzzsaw Athletics last time out: 6.2 innings, 5 earned, but he punched out 10 hitters on 107 pitches, so the swing-and-miss is real even when the line isn't pretty.
The bigger story walked off the field Thursday night. Aaron Judge is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his first right rib and will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks, per the team. The Yankees still lead the majors with 89 home runs and just took a series finale from Cleveland 2-1, but losing the reigning monster bat for the foreseeable future reshuffles every lineup card Aaron Boone fills out from here on.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILNick Sogard 3B — Sogard is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — Anthony (finger) felt discomfort while hitting off a tee Thursday and has been shut down from swinging, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder) was diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain Tuesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Whitlock RP — Whitlock (knee) "felt really good" while throwing a side session Tuesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Story SS — Story underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia Thursday and will be sidelined 6-10 weeks, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILRomy Gonzalez 1B — Gonzalez (shoulder) took batting practice at Fenway Park on Wednesday, WEEI reports.
- 60-Day-ILPatrick Sandoval SP — Sandoval (biceps/elbow) will begin a rehab assignment this weekend, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Dominguez (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Friday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Stanton (calf) will not be activated from the 10-day injured list during the team's June 8-14 road trip, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Chivilli RP — Chivilli (shoulder) has resumed throwing off a mound and is slated to throw live batting practice during the coming week, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Fried (elbow) played catch Monday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt SP — Schmidt (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
- OutAaron Judge RF — Judge (ribs) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Guardians.
Boston's medical room isn't winning any awards either. Trevor Story is 6-10 weeks out after sports hernia surgery, Garrett Crochet is on the 15-day with a lat strain, and Triston Casas, Roman Anthony and Kutter Crawford are all still parked. The Sox are 26-35 for a reason — but they ripped Baltimore 8-1 on Wednesday before getting flattened 8-2 the next day, so the offense has a pulse when it shows up.
The Yankees are 37-25 and still the favorite at home with the moneyline reportedly hanging around -144, but a Judge-less lineup against a top-10 ERA starter is exactly the kind of spot Boston has stolen all year. If Weathers' strikeout stuff plays and Gray gets a polite ovation from a Bronx crowd that's now in survival mode, this could get weird in a hurry.