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Nine Lives

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FLUSHING – (Wire Service Report) – Anthony Siegler had the tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th inning Sunday for the visiting Boston Red Sox, who won their ninth straight game by edging the New York Mets 3-2 in the finale of a three-game interleague series.

The Red Sox forced extras in the ninth, when Andrew Monasterio had a bases-loaded walk and Jarren Duran had an RBI single. Connor Wong led off the 10th by sacrificing Masataka Yoshida to third before Siegler followed with a fly ball three pitches later against Brooks Raley (4-4).

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Monasterio, Duran, Connor Wong and Cedanne Rafaela had one hit each for the Red Sox, whose winning streak is their longest since a 10-game run last July.

This winning streak has been built entirely on the road by the Red Sox, who swept three-game sets from the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox before never trailing the Mets Friday or Saturday.

Aroldis Chapman (1-3) worked around Jared Young’s one-out single in the ninth and Garrett Whitlock notched his second save by retiring all three batters in the 10th.

Francisco Lindor had a run-scoring double in the first and homered in the sixth before his one-out error extended the ninth inning for the Mets, who fell to 4-7 this month.

Red Sox starter Peyton Tolle allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven over 3 2/3 innings.

Mets rookie Zach Thornton, pitching in the majors for the first time since June 26, gave up two hits and walked two while striking out five over seven innings. Thornton didn’t allow a hit until Monasterio doubled to left field with one out in the fifth.

Luke Weaver threw a 1-2-3 eighth before Rafaela began the Red Sox’s comeback by singling to lead off the ninth against closer Devin Williams, who got Wilyer Abreu to pop out before Romy Gonzalez grounded to short.

 

Nine in a Row? Can It Be True?

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FLUSHING (Wire Service Report) – The last time the Boston Red Sox won nine straight games on the road, it was 1977 and their stars were named Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk.

Back in the 2026 playoff hunt going into the All-Star break, Boston will try to not just sweep the weekend series with the New York Mets on Sunday, it will also attempt to polish off a 9-0 road trip. The eight-game win streak started with three-contest sweeps at the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox before arriving in New York.

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The Red Sox kept rolling Saturday with a 4-0 win as fill-in starter Eduardo Rivera fired 3 2/3 innings and allowed only one hit. Boston interim manager Chad Tracy opted for a bullpen game instead of starting Brayan Bello, and five relievers teamed for a three-hitter, the team’s ninth shutout of the year.

“It feels good, obviously,” Tracy said of the difference between this stretch and most of the season. “You could feel the vibes at times. We were struggling to score and things didn’t feel good. Now we’re doing a fantastic job.”

As is often the case when teams get on a roll, Boston is receiving contributions up and down the roster. Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida each belted two-run homers on Saturday to support the pitching staff’s efforts.

Each homer scored Chad Durbin, who batted cleanup for the first time this year. Durbin normally bats lower but Tracy didn’t make a big deal of moving him up to a glamour spot in the order.

“Just take your at-bats,” he said. “You get on base and try to make it as good as you can.”

Rookie left-hander Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.14 ERA) attempts to help Boston complete the perfect road trip in the series finale. He’s coming off an 8-1 win Tuesday night at the Chicago White Sox, yielding just two hits and a walk in six scoreless innings while fanning six. This will be his first career outing against the Mets.

New York will turn to Zach Thornton (0-1, 4.35) for his third career start. The rookie lefty last pitched on June 26, receiving a no-decision in a 2-1 home loss to Philadelphia despite allowing only five hits and a run in six innings with a walk and seven strikeouts.

Interim manager Andy Green was impressed with how Thornton did not back down from hitters in his two big league starts.

“Most days, he’s gonna fill up the strike zone and he’s gonna attack,” Green said. “He’s unafraid, he’s gonna give you what he’s got, he’s gonna step on the mound and he’s gonna be aggressive.”

Given how little New York has done with the bats in the first two games, Thornton might need to be outstanding. The Mets have managed just two runs, both on Friday, and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Saturday while stranding nine men.

Offense has been an issue for New York. It ranks 26th in the majors in batting average (.234), 28th in on-base percentage (.304) and 27th in slugging (.381). Injuries to projected mainstays like shortstop Bo Bichette and second baseman Marcus Semien haven’t helped.

Bichette (ankle) was able to serve as a pinch hitter Saturday and drew a walk. He could play Sunday, while Semien (hip) will likely remain out until early August.

–Field Level Media

Seven Straight for the Red Sox

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FLUSHING – (Wire Service Report) – Wilyer Abreu had three hits, including a two-run homer, Friday night as the Boston Red Sox capped an eventful day by beating the host New York Mets 6-2 in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

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The first pitch was pushed back from 7:15 to 7:51 p.m. ET after the Red Sox didn’t land at nearby LaGuardia Airport until after 4 p.m. ET. Boston’s flight out of Chicago was delayed almost 24 hours due to multiple mechanical issues on the club’s charter plane.

Anthony Seigler was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer for the Red Sox, who won their seventh straight. Masataka Yoshida was 2-for-4 with a two-RBI double while Tsung-Che Cheng also had two hits.

Sonny Gray (11-1) won his ninth straight decision after giving up one run on five hits and one walk while striking out three over six innings.

Brett Baty homered and went 3-for-4 as he extended his career-long hitting streak to 10 games for the Mets, who lost for the second time in six games. New York scored 42 runs in its previous five contests.

Juan Soto had a sacrifice fly while Jared Young and A.J. Ewing finished with two hits apiece.

Starter Nolan McLean (6-6) allowed two unearned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings.

Seigler’s leadoff fly to left glanced off the glove of Soto for a two-base error. Seigler went to third on a bunt by Ceddanne Rafaela and Abreu walked before both runners scored on Yoshida’s two-out double down the third base line.

The Mets built a run in the third. Baty singled and stole second before Zack Short worked a walk. Baty went to third when Short was forced on Ewing’s grounder and raced home on Soto’s fly to left.

Seigler hit a two-run shot just fair down the left field line against A.J. Minter in the seventh. Abreu hit his two-run homer off Cionel Perez in the ninth.

Baty homered with two outs in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Keep on Rolling

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CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – Caleb Durbin hit a two-run home run and Patrick Sandoval pitched effectively in his return as the visiting Boston Red Sox edged the Chicago White Sox 2-1 on Thursday to complete a three-game sweep.

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Durbin delivered the only extra-base hit among Boston’s four hits when he connected for a two-run blast against Anthony Kay in the fourth inning. It proved enough support for Sandoval and four relievers, boosting Boston to its sixth straight victory and 11th win in the past 13 games.

Chicago collected seven hits but fell into a tie with the Cleveland Guardians atop the American League Central with its sixth loss in eight games. The White Sox were swept at home for the third time this season and first since April 14-16 against Tampa Bay,

Sandoval started and worked 4 1/3 strong innings in his club debut and first major league action since June 21, 2024, with the Los Angeles Angels.

Recovered from Tommy John surgery and other injuries, Sandoval was activated from the 60-day injured list on Monday. The left-hander threw 65 pitches, spacing one run and five hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Sandoval was charged with his lone run in the fifth, as Andrew Benintendi grounded a pinch-hit RBI single to greet reliever Tyron Guerrero. The hit scored Luisangel Acuna, who opened the inning with a single against Sandoval.

Guerrero (1-1) escaped further trouble with a flyout to center and popup to third. He earned the victory with 1 2/3 innings of two-hit relief.

Aroldis Chapman worked a perfect ninth for his 19th save.

Colson Montgomery had two hits for the White Sox, who were limited to just two runs in the series.

Kay (6-4) scattered two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.

White Sox pitchers Jordan Hicks, Grant Taylor and Tyler Davis combined for 3 2/3 innings of hitless relief with two walks.

Anthony Seigler returned to Boston’s lineup after leaving Wednesday’s victory with a right trap contusion following a collision at home plate.

Red Sox All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras, who departed with a left foot contusion in Wednesday’s game, served the first of a five-game suspension for his role in a benches-clearing incident against Washington on June 30. He was originally suspended for seven games but MLB reduced it to five on Thursday.

–Field Level Media

Sox vs Sox I: Four In a Row

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CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Andruw Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela homered and Payton Tolle delivered six shutout innings to lift the visiting Red Sox to an 8-1 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday. The Red Sox stretched their winning streak to four while earning their ninth victory in the past 11 games.

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Monasterio and Rafaela collected two hits apiece, including second-inning home runs against Chicago starter Noah Schultz (2-6). Willson Contreras had a two-run, ninth-inning double among his two hits, while Jarren Duran punctuated a four-run ninth with his second hit, an RBI single.

Tolle (5-6) set the tone for the Red Sox pitching staff, scattering two Sam Antonacci singles over six innings. He walked one and struck out six while allowing only one White Sox baserunner to reach scoring position.

Chicago remained one game ahead of Cleveland atop the American League Central despite its fourth loss in six games. The White Sox avoided a shutout when Kyle Teel drove in a run on a seventh-inning forceout. Justin Slaten struck out Jacob Gonzalez and Tristan Peters with runners on the corners to end the threat.

Schultz — a rookie left-hander, as with Tolle — needed 33 pitches to escape a scoreless first inning in which he stranded the bases loaded.

Boston, however, reached him for three runs in the second, rallying after Schultz fanned Duran to begin the inning. Monasterio opened the scoring with a solo home run to left. Three batters later, Rafaela smacked a two-run blast to make it 3-0.

The Red Sox extended the lead to 4-0 in the fourth as Duran scored on Connor Wong’s sacrifice bunt.

Schultz allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings. He walked three, struck out three and hit one batter. He has lost four straight starts.

Antonacci finished 3-for-4 to pace Chicago and stop a three-game hitless streak.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox vs White Sox

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CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – The Chicago White Sox will greet the visiting Boston Red Sox on Tuesday with a one-game lead atop the American League Central.

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While the White Sox realize they are nowhere near the finish line, they can appreciate the perch in the final week before the All Star-break. Especially on the heels of three straight 100-loss seasons.

“We are in a good spot. It’s exciting and it just shows the kind of growth we are at,” right-hander Davis Martin said. “It doesn’t matter if we are playing bad. We still find a way to find ourselves in every game.

“It’s a great time. We love winning. We do a good job celebrating each other’s successes. We are having fun being ourselves and enjoying it.”

Chicago split a four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians, its closest Central competitor, over the weekend.

A power surge propelled the White Sox to a 7-6 victory in Sunday’s finale. Colson Montgomery and Tristan Peters belted home runs among their two hits while Kyle Teel also went deep.

Red Sox starter Payton Tolle (4-6, 3.39 ERA) will aim to limit the White Sox attack and stop a recent penchant for allowing the long ball.

Pitching against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, Tolle was unable to build upon his previous start — seven one-hit innings during a 6-1 victory on June 26 against the New York Yankees. Washington reached him for six runs and seven hits — including two homers — in three innings in a home loss.

Tolle figured to adjust the mechanics on his four-seam fastball after finding the Nationals “were ready for it.”

“I think I was also probably just being too fine,” he added, “trying to hit spots rather than just trying to execute pitches and just flying through the zone.”

Boston’s loss to Washington marked a rare recent blip for a club that is jelling under interim manager Chad Tracy. Although the Red Sox still occupy the AL East basement, they’ve won eight of 10 after completing a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels to begin a nine-game road trip before the break.

On Sunday, Boston overcame an early injury to All-Star left-hander Ranger Suarez to defeat the host Angels 7-5. Jarren Duran and Willson Contreras homered.

Contreras leads the Red Sox with 20 home runs, a milestone he has reached seven times.

“This year has been good to me,” Contreras said. “Of course, I’ve been doing my homework. I put the work in the cage and my mindset is still there.”

Rookie left-hander Noah Schultz (2-5, 5.86) is set to get the call for the White Sox. Schultz returned from right knee patellar tendinitis on Wednesday at Baltimore but endured the same result as his two previous starts before the injury: he lost.

Schultz has hurt his own cause with control issues and has a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.35.

Against the Orioles, Schultz allowed two runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings with four walks and seven strikeouts. He has walked 26 batters and hit four with a pitch in 43 total innings.

He has yielded a home run in three consecutive starts and four of the past five. He has allowed five total homers.

Tolle is set to face Chicago for the first time in his career. Schultz has not previously opposed Boston.

–Field Level Media

Gray Gets the Job Done for Sox

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ANAHEIM – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Sonny Gray allowed a run and four hits in six innings and Willson Contreras and Romy Gonzalez hit home runs as the Red Sox routed the Los Angeles Angels 8-1 on Saturday night in California.

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Wilyer Abreu added two RBIs and scored two runs for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the series.

Josh Lowe homered for the Angels, who lost their fifth in a row.

Gray (10-1, 2.61 ERA) walked two and struck out seven. Neither he nor Contreras (19 HR, 56 RBI, .285 batting average, .914 OPS) were among the All-Star Game participants announced earlier in the day.

Los Angeles starter Sam Aldegheri (3-4) gave up three runs and one hit in four innings with four walks and two strikeouts.

Contreras’ three-run homer in the first inning gave Boston a 3-0 lead.

He belted Aldegheri’s 2-1 changeup an estimated 421 feet into the left field stands. Anthony Seigler and Abreu, who had both walked, scored ahead of Contreras.

Lowe’s solo homer in the second put the Angels on the board and made it 3-1. He drove Gray’s first-pitch cutter high over the center field fence an estimated 437 feet. It was Lowe’s seventh homer of the season.

Los Angeles had runners on first and second with one out later in the inning, but Gray struck out Donovan Walton and Tyler Heineman.

Boston put the game out of reach with four runs in the fifth for a 7-1 lead. Abreu hit a two-run double and Gonzalez lofted a two-run homer just inside the foul pole in left for his first home run.

All four runs came off of reliever Samy Natera Jr.

Ceddanne Rafaela doubled in a run in the eighth for the final margin.

Relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman and starter Ranger Suarez were selected for the All-Star Game for Boston and Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout, who is on the injured list with a hamstring injury, was picked as a starter for the game in Philadelphia on July 14.

–Field Level Media

The NEXT Best Player in Baseball

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief

BOSTON – He’s the only player in the Majors with 20+ home runs and 10+ stolen bases. He ranks first in runs scored, and first in the National League in base-on-balls drawn. He’s first among NL outfielders in extra base hits which ranks second in the entire NL. He’s tops amongst NL outfielders in home runs, and tied for third amongst the National League home run leaders (Matt Olson). The stats and the rankings continue right through On Base Percentage, total bases, OPS (On base + Slugging).

James Wood is the best player no one has heard much about.

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He made the NL All-Star team, he robs opponents of home runs with his 6-foot-6 frame and lengthy reach. He’s even hit an inside-the-park Grand Slam (May 19 vs. New York Mets).

Wood was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the 2021 amateur draft but later traded to Washington as part of a massive deal that sent Juan Soto to Southern California. Wood’s Nationals teammate in shortstop C.J. Abrams was part of the same deal and they’re both destined for many an All-Star Game appearance.

Wood is 23 years old. Abrams is 25.

On Monday night, just as the folks at Fenway Park were settling in for a gorgeous summer night, Wood stepped up to face Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez – left handed batter vs. left handed pitcher. The second pitch of the game landed 441 feet away from home plate. Gone.

That is the power of Washington’s young lead-off hitter. It was his ninth lead-off homer of his career and the sixth of the 2026 season. The blast was his 61st major league home run, 31 in 2025 and 21 this season (and counting).

Wood played in 157 of 162 regular season games in 2025. As of Monday, he played in every single one of Washington’s 86 games, reaching base safely in 34 of his last 42 games. His No. 1 ranking in runs scored means he’s crossed the plate 73 times and it’s not even the 4th of July.

To say Wood is the best player in baseball is a tough statement to make, considering the Ohtani, Judge, Schwarber trifecta, and a host of other talented veteran players. But to say he’s the best young, 23-year old player in baseball might be the way to go.

Wood grew up in Richmond, Virginia, the son of a talented University of Richmond basketball star in his father, Kenny. Wood’s 6-foot-8 uncle, Howard, grew up in East Hampton, Long Island and went on to play basketball for the University of Tennessee and then with the NBA’s Utah Jazz but played only 48 games as a pro. Suffice to say, the athleticism is there and the 6-foot-6 frame provides the younger Wood with some serious base-running, defense and torque producing swings which can send baseballs into space.

After zipping through the minors, Wood is now in his third season in the big leagues.

He’ll surely be representing the Nationals when the All-Star Game celebrates America’s 250th in Philadelphia in mid-July.

His next goal will be to play Major League Baseball in October. But, with Boston shelling Nationals starter Miles Mikolas in the first inning Monday night, then adding insurance in the second and third frames, Woods’ Nats are playing only .500 ball (43-43). Mikolas pitched seven innings, allowed nine hits, six earned runs, and two home runs in defeat.

Boston’s starter, Ranger Suarez, pitched six innings, allowing five hits and three runs, including the solo, lead-off HR to Woods.

The victory, a 6-3 breeze, was Boston’s fifth straight, their sixth of seven and eighth of the last 11 games.

The two clubs will play two additional games Tuesday and Wednesday before the Red Sox take an off day to fly to California to face the LA Angels.

The Nationals will enjoy an off day on July 2, then head home to play a nine game homestand surrounding the 4th of July festivities and concluding with the MLB All-Star break – July 13-16.

Could This Be Sox Turning Point?

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Boston rookie left-hander Jake Bennett allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings,  designated hitter Masataka Yoshida and rookie infielder Anthony Seigler each belted a solo home run and the host Boston Red Sox earned a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday afternoon. It was Seigler’s first homer of his career and proved to be the 25th Boston home run off New York Yankees starter Gerrit Cole since 2020, when Cole joined the Yanks.

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The first hit allowed by Bennett (2-3) came with two outs in the fifth inning, courtesy of a solo homer by Max Schuemann. Bennett yielded two more hits and struck out three batters before exiting to a standing ovation.

Yoshida launched a solo shot in the first inning and Seigler — a first-round pick of the Yankees in the 2018 MLB Draft — added his homer in the second.

Boston’s Willson Contreras ripped a two-run double in the third inning, one day after sparking a benches-clearing push-and-shove incident in a 6-1 win over New York on Friday night.

The early offense on Saturday powered the Red Sox to their third straight win to open the four-game series. The Yankees, in turn, have lost six of their last eight games.

Justin Slaten relieved Bennett and struck out Jose Caballero and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to end the seventh inning. Garrett Whitlock retired the side in order in the eighth and Aroldis Chapman got the final three outs in the ninth to secure his 16th save.

Boston bolted out of the blocks as Yoshida deposited the second pitch of the game from Gerrit Cole (2-3) over the wall in right-center field. The homer was the second of the season for Yoshida and first since May 24.

Seigler doubled the advantage in the second inning by sending a 3-1 fastball from Cole just over the Green Monster.

Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela each singled to center to lead off the third inning before both runners sprinted home on Contreras’ hard-hit smash to left-center field.

New York finally solved Bennett in the fifth, as Schuemann deposited a first-pitch sinker over the wall in center field.

Cole struggled in his second straight outing, permitting four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

 

Opposite Ends of the Standings

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Preview) – Teams at opposite ends of the American League East standings will meet tonight when the New York Yankees open a four-game series against the host Boston Red Sox. The division-leading Yankees enter the series on a two-game winning streak after a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. Paul Goldschmidt hit two solo home runs off Tarik Skubal, and Jasson Dominguez delivered a two-run shot in the sixth inning.

“Obviously (Skubal is) one of the best pitchers in the game and facing him is a tough challenge,” Goldschmidt said. “I just try to get in there and compete, and fortunately, I was able to get a couple balls I was able to get out of there.

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“We didn’t have many hits (six). We didn’t have much offense, but it was enough just because our pitching was so good. … This game is hard. Nights like this when you have success, enjoy it because there are a lot of games where we either lose or individually you have a bad game or there’s stretches of bad games.”

Ryan Weathers and three relievers scattered two runs and eight hits against the Tigers.

Boston, meanwhile, is at the bottom of the AL East and dropped 14 games below .500 with Wednesday’s 8-6 loss against the Colorado Rockies in Denver.

The Red Sox led 6-3 when shortstop Marcelo Mayer made an error on a routine grounder with two outs in the seventh inning. The Rockies scored three runs in the inning after the error to tie the game.

Mayer entered the contest when third baseman Caleb Durbin had to leave after injuring his left hand while sliding into first base. Boston made two errors in the loss, and five of Colorado’s eight runs were unearned.

“I mean today it was fairly clear, we didn’t play well enough defensively,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “A lot of their run-scoring opportunities and run scores were a product of us. We have to take care of the ball.”

New York has won four of five games against the Red Sox this season, including a three-game sweep in Boston from April 21-23.

Left-hander Connelly Early (6-5, 3.64 ERA) is expected to start for Boston on tonight.

Early is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in his only regular-season start against the Yankees. He gave up three runs on five hits, walked three and struck out four in a 4-0 loss to New York on April 21.

Right-hander Cam Schlittler (8-3, 1.71 ERA) is New York’s probable starter. He’s 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in two career regular-season starts against Boston.

Schlittler also earned the win when New York beat Boston 4-0 in Game 3 of the AL wild-card series last season. He struck out 12 in eight innings during that game. Early gave up all four New York runs in 3 2/3 innings and took the loss.

Tonight will mark the first of seven straight home games for the Red Sox, who are 12-25 at Fenway Park this year.

Boston infielder Romy Gonzalez has yet to play this season after having shoulder surgery in March but could be activated this weekend.

“I’m trying to push for Saturday to be activated,” Gonzalez said. “We’ll see what happens. Definitely, I want to be (there) Sunday with (New York’s Carlos) Rodon going Sunday. I want to be in the lineup.”

–Field Level Media