Will Warren (7-2, 3.45 ERA) takes the ball for New York at 7:10 PM ET, matched up against Payton Tolle (3-5, 3.08 ERA) for Boston. Warren has been one of the steadier arms in the American League this season, and his road splits are particularly sharp — he's posted a 2.25 ERA in away starts in 2026, a number that bodes well for a night game at Fenway Park.
Tolle has been the most compelling story in an otherwise bleak Red Sox season. The rookie left-hander has held opponents to 3 runs or fewer in 10 of his 11 career starts, yet sits at 3-5 because the Red Sox offense keeps going quiet behind him. His most recent outing against Seattle went 6 innings — manageable, but only 2 strikeouts, well below his usual punch-out rate. A 3.08 ERA with a losing record is a pretty succinct summary of what being a Boston starter in 2026 looks like.
The Yankees are 48-32 and leading the AL East by a comfortable margin, which is remarkable given how many key pieces are unavailable. Aaron Judge is out with a stress fracture of his first rib — he won't be re-evaluated for 4-to-6 weeks, which puts early August as the realistic best-case return. Giancarlo Stanton re-aggravated his calf and is on a slow ramp. Max Fried is on the IL with elbow issues. New York went 2-1 against Detroit before dropping Game 1 here, a loss that had more to do with 4 self-inflicted errors than anything Fenway threw at them. Boston at 33-46 is 15.5 games back, but they did just beat the Yankees at Fenway for the first time all season.
- 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-ILTrent Grisham CF — Grisham (hamstring) traveled with the Yankees to Boston and took on-field batting practice Thursday, but he'll likely need to take part in a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the injured list, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILRyan McMahon 3B — The Yankees placed McMahon on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a throat infection.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — The Yankees announced that Stanton (calf) reinjured his calf and will have a slow week of activities, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAaron Judge RF — The Yankees announced Thursday that Judge has a stress fracture of his first rib on his right side and will be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks before being re-evaluated, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- paternityAli Sanchez C — Sanchez took X-rays immediately following his early departure from Monday's game which came back negative, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Fried (elbow) is expected to begin facing hitters by late June or early July, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt SP — Schmidt (elbow) tossed a side session Wednesday and is "a couple of weeks" away from facing live hitters, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILIsiah Kiner-Falefa 2B — Kiner-Falefa will undergo a CT scan Thursday on his injured left forearm to check for fractures, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — Interim manager Chad Tracy said Wednesday that Anthony (finger/wrist) hasn't made any substantive progress in his recovery back in Boston since the Red Sox began their road trip last weekend, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe 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.
- 15-Day-ILJovani Moran RP — Moran (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILRomy Gonzalez 1B — Gonzalez (shoulder/hip) said Tuesday that he expects to return from the injured list and make his season debut Saturday against the Yankees, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder/lat) has not yet been cleared to resume a throwing program following a scheduled re-evaluation Monday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Story SS — Story (abdomen) has begun jogging and swinging off a tee, MLB.com reports.
Boston's injury report reads like a rotation apocalypse — Garrett Crochet not yet cleared to resume throwing, Kutter Crawford dealing with forearm tightness, Tanner Houck at 105 feet, Triston Casas just now being cleared to swing a bat. The Red Sox are patching a roster together and yet they keep stealing games, partly because Tolle keeps giving them chances and partly because Caleb Durbin has been one of the most dangerous hitters on the field this month, with 5 home runs in June including the 2-run, tie-breaking shot that closed out Game 1. For New York, the path back in this series starts with Warren doing what he's done on the road all year and a shorthanded Red Sox lineup doing what it's done over the last 10 games — hitting .228 and making life hard on its own pitchers.