This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy Baseball series.
Boston Red Sox (3-6) at New York Yankees (6-1)
Sunday, August 2nd, 7:08 PM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Austin Brice (0-0, 7.71 ERA) vs LHP James Paxton (0-1, 27.00 ERA)
Game Preview
The Red Sox and the Yankees have been exactly who we thought they would be entering the shortened 2020 MLB season – Boston sits near the bottom of the AL East standings, while the Yankees have the look of a contender while reeling five straight wins. The Yankees, in fact, are going for the sweep Sunday. The pitching matchup might also favor New York, as they will send lefty James Paxton to the mound. He endured a tough debut – lasted just 1.0 inning against the Nationals – but has enough tools to bounce back against a weaker lineup. The Red Sox have not confirmed their starter, although Austin Brice is expected to get the nod. The right-hander has a 7.71 ERA off the bullpen this season.
Injuries
Boston Red Sox
Darwinzon Hernandez - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related
7/29 11:51 AM EST - Hernandez (illness) could start games for the Red Sox at some point this season, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. The Red Sox want Hernandez stretched out to be able to handle two or three innings when he comes off the COVID-19 injured list, but manager Ron Roenicke said the team thinks he could be a starter long term and mentioned the possibility the southpaw will enter the rotation by season's end. Hernandez
Boston Red Sox (3-6) at New York Yankees (6-1)
Sunday, August 2nd, 7:08 PM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Austin Brice (0-0, 7.71 ERA) vs LHP James Paxton (0-1, 27.00 ERA)
Game Preview
The Red Sox and the Yankees have been exactly who we thought they would be entering the shortened 2020 MLB season – Boston sits near the bottom of the AL East standings, while the Yankees have the look of a contender while reeling five straight wins. The Yankees, in fact, are going for the sweep Sunday. The pitching matchup might also favor New York, as they will send lefty James Paxton to the mound. He endured a tough debut – lasted just 1.0 inning against the Nationals – but has enough tools to bounce back against a weaker lineup. The Red Sox have not confirmed their starter, although Austin Brice is expected to get the nod. The right-hander has a 7.71 ERA off the bullpen this season.
Injuries
Boston Red Sox
Darwinzon Hernandez - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related
7/29 11:51 AM EST - Hernandez (illness) could start games for the Red Sox at some point this season, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. The Red Sox want Hernandez stretched out to be able to handle two or three innings when he comes off the COVID-19 injured list, but manager Ron Roenicke said the team thinks he could be a starter long term and mentioned the possibility the southpaw will enter the rotation by season's end. Hernandez has electric stuff from the left side but his minor-league control issues followed him to the majors last year (17.7 percent walk rate), so improving as a strike thrower will be paramount for him to have success as a starter. Given how short-handed Boston's rotation is, moving Hernandez out of the bullpen is worth a shot in the short term, but he does not project to be efficient enough with his pitches to log five innings with any kind of regularity.
Collin McHugh - Out - Opt Out
7/19 1:49 PM EST - McHugh (elbow) opted out of the 2020 season since his recovery hasn't progressed like he had hoped, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports. The 33-year-old has been working his way back from an elbow injury and was already ruled out for the start of the season, but he was apparently expected to be on the injured list for a significant portion of the shortened campaign. As a result, McHugh decided his time would be better spent at home with his family amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dustin Pedroia - 60-Day IL - Knee
4/15 9:25 AM EST - Manager Ron Roenicke said Tuesday that Pedroia (knee) is "not at a point where he's thinking about trying to be ready" to resume training with the Red Sox, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. The Red Sox won't be allowed to get together for workouts until Major League Baseball clears them to do so, but based on Roenicke's comments, it doesn't sound as though Pedroia is a serious candidate to rejoin Boston when training resumes. After appearing in just nine MLB games since 2018 while contending with multiple setbacks with his surgically repaired left knee, the 36-year-old Pedroia looks increasingly more likely to retire rather than resuming his playing career.
Eduardo Rodriguez - Covid-19 - Illness
8/1 1:50 PM EST - The Red Sox announced Saturday that Rodriguez (illness) will not pitch this season, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports. Rodriguez developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, as a result of his battle with COVID-19. Strenuous activity is unsafe for his heart at the moment, and a recent examination indicated that's not expected to change soon enough for him to pitch at any point this year. The team remains hopeful that he'll make a full recovery and will be able to pitch next season.
Chris Sale - 60-Day IL - Elbow
6/28 5:49 PM EST - Sale (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Sunday. He will miss the entire season and some of the 2021 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late March. This move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster.
Josh Taylor - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related
7/28 2:08 PM EST - Taylor (illness) will throw a simulated game Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. A positive COVID-19 test significantly delayed Taylor's preseason buildup. He's reportedly not close to returning to action.
New York Yankees
Luis Cessa - Covid-19 - Illness
8/1 3:10 PM EST - Cessa (illness) threw a two-inning live batting practice session Saturday and is expected to rejoin the Yankees within the next few days, James Wagner of The New York Times reports. Cessa missed most of summer camp due to a positive COVID-19 test, but he's now been back with the team for two weeks. He should be ready for a low-leverage relief role at some point next week.
Aroldis Chapman - Covid-19 - Illness
7/31 10:44 AM EST - Chapman (illness) cleared the league's COVID-19 protocols and can rejoin the Yankees, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports. The veteran southpaw joined the Yankees early in summer camp but was placed on the COVID-19 injured list July 11 after testing positive and showing mild symptoms. Chapman should head to the team's alternate training site to begin participating in workouts, though he figures to require some time before reaching game readiness. Zack Britton has two early season saves and should continue operating as the fill-in closer until Chapman is ready for game action.
Domingo German - Suspension - Suspension
7/18 4:22 PM EST - German (suspension) will not be retiring, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports. German announced in a somewhat cryptic Instagram post Friday that he was stepping away from baseball. He's since deleted that post and provided another one, in which he apologized for the "unsettling post," explaining that he let his emotions get the best of him after being forced to watch his teammates get ready for the season from afar. German will miss the entirety of the season as well as the first three games of next year while serving a domestic-violence suspension.
Kyle Holder - Day-To-Day - Hip
7/19 11:55 AM EST - Holder (hip/stomach) was assigned to the Yankees' alternate training site Saturday. Holder's reassignment came on the same day that he underwent a series of tests due to discomfort in his hip and stomach area. The 26-year-old was not expected to make the Yankees' initial 30-man active roster, though a callup this year is not out of the question if he's able to overcome the injury concern.
Tommy Kahnle - 10-Day IL - Elbow
7/31 7:32 PM EST - Kahnle (forearm) will likely require Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a UCL issue, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Kahnle was unavailable for Thursday's game and placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, but manager Aaron Boone revealed that the right-hander will likely require surgery to fix his significant injury. The 30-year-old will undergo further testing to confirm the need for surgery, but Kahnle will miss all of 2020 and most or all of next season if he indeed requires surgery.
Dan Otero - Out - Undisclosed
7/21 3:49 PM EST - Otero was placed on the restricted list Tuesday. The reasoning behind the move is unclear, but Otero won't be available for the start of the shortened season and has no official timeline for his return. The 35-year-old joined the Yankees on a minor-league deal with offseason after posting a 4.85 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with the Indians in 2019.
Luis Severino - 60-Day IL - Elbow
6/28 3:17 PM EST - Severino (elbow) was placed on the 45-day injured list Sunday. This was inevitable after Severino underwent Tommy John surgery in February. He has been progressing well in his rehab and is optimistic that he will be able to pitch for the Yankees at some point in 2021.
Yankees Expected Lineup
SP - James Paxton
1. DJ LeMahieu
2. Aaron Judge
5. Aaron Hicks
6. Gary Sanchez
8. Luke Voit
9. Gio Urshela
Red Sox Expected Lineup
SP - Austin Brice
5. Kevin Pillar
9. Jose Peraza
Top Picks From Each Team
Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees: Stanton might have gone 0-for-4 Saturday, but he is still hitting .348 with a 1.160 OPS through the Yankees' first seven games – that should paint a picture of how dominant he has been at the plate. The slugger should be a popular pick for most fantasy users again.
Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox: Bogaerts has been one of the most consistent hitters in the Red Sox roster, and he is coming off a 1-for-4 effort Saturday. He is hitting .241 but has produced six RBI already, so he can be a threat to produce runs on a nightly basis from the cleanup spot.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – James Paxton
C – Gary Sanchez
IF – Gleyber Torres
IF – Mitch Moreland
IF – DJ LeMahieu
OF – Giancarlo Stanton (C)
OF – Aaron Judge (VC)
OF – J.D. Martinez
OF – Andrew Benintendi
