Gerrit Cole (2-2, 3.62 ERA) takes the ball against Jake Bennett (1-3, 3.71 ERA) for Game 3 of this four-game set, with first pitch set for 1:10 PM ET. On paper the ERA numbers are nearly identical. In practice, these 2 starters are going in completely opposite directions right now.
Cole just got roughed up by Detroit last Monday — 5 earned runs on 9 hits in 4.1 innings, the worst start of his 2026 comeback season after missing all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Tigers beat him for the first time in 10 years and Cole admitted after the game he was making mistakes. Bennett, by contrast, just turned in the best outing of his young career: 6 shutout innings, 9 strikeouts, and 0 walks against Colorado on June 22. One starter is finding his footing at the big-league level; the other is trying to find his last month's form.
Boston has won the first 2 games of this series and neither one was close. Game 1 Thursday ended 6-3, aided by 4 Yankees errors that handed the Red Sox unearned runs all night. Game 2 on Friday was cleaner and more embarrassing for New York: Payton Tolle retired the first 16 batters he faced and went 7 scoreless innings, Willson Contreras hit a 418-foot shot over the Green Monster, and Boston cruised 6-1. The Red Sox are 34-46 on the season, but inside Fenway this weekend they've looked nothing like it. A win Saturday would give them the series and represent their best sustained stretch against the Yankees in recent memory.
- 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.
- 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-ILMarcelo Mayer 2B — The Red Sox placed Mayer on the 10-day injured list Friday with a stress reaction in his left forearm, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald 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.
The Yankees are running this entire road trip without Aaron Judge — rib stress fracture, out at minimum 4-6 weeks before re-evaluation — and Giancarlo Stanton, who re-injured his calf and is on a slow recovery timeline. New York has handled those absences well overall; 48-33 without 2 of your best 3 hitters is genuinely impressive. But scoring 4 runs combined over 2 games against a pitching staff that isn't exactly intimidating is a real problem, and Cole's job Saturday is to go deep enough that the bullpen doesn't have to carry another close game at a park that's already been brutal this series. On the Boston side, 1B Romy Gonzalez is expected to make his season debut Saturday after battling through a shoulder and hip issue all year. The Red Sox also just lost 2B Marcelo Mayer to a forearm stress reaction on Friday, adding to a lengthy IL. Both benches are patched together right now — the difference this series has been pitching, and Bennett has a real shot to extend it.