Boston

Red Sox

Sonny Gray will start Game 2, with Ranger Suarez potentially lined up for Game 3. It seems that Tracy may be looking to break up his lefties. Tolle is certainly a worthwhile Game 1 starter. He finished the regular season with a 3.03 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 28.4 percent strikeout rate across 148 2/3 innings. He has never made a start in the postseason before, while Gray has previous experience. Gray also posted a 2.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 21.8 percent strikeout rate in 169 innings this year. Either way, the Red Sox have a nice duo set up to start the first two games of the series.

The big question is how Contreras is feeling from a physical standpoint leading into the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees on Tuesday. The 34-year-old veteran slugger returned to Boston’s lineup for their final regular-season contest at Tropicana Field following an eight-game absence due to a right hand injury after he was hit by a pitch earlier this month. He concludes the regular season as a top-15 range option at first base, hitting .275/.386/.516 with 68 runs scored, 27 homers, 81 RBI and three steals in 130 games.

Houck was unable to solve former teammate Alex Bregman, who tagged him for a pair of home runs that accounted for all of the damage against him, during his first start back in the majors since May 12, 2025. The 30-year-old righty figures to be in the mix for a spot in Boston’s bullpen when they kick off the postseason with a best-of-three AL Wild Card Series matchup against the Yankees on Tuesday.

We’ll find out later how Contreras felt on his swings. He was playing for the first time since getting hit on the hand by a pitch 10 days ago.

Contreras hasn’t played since September 17 when he was hit in the hand by a pitch. It’s encouraging that he’ll be able to get a couple of live at-bats in before the Red Sox open the postseason on Tuesday against the Yankees. He’ll serve as the team’s designated hitter and will bat third against Cubs’ left-hander Shota Imanaga.

He’ll take the place of the injured Tyron Guerrero (shoulder) in the Red Sox’ bullpen for Sunday’s regular season finale against the Cubs. Olds has done a terrific job for the Red Sox this season, posting a 1.20 ERa, 1.20 WHIP and a 20/7 K/BB ratio across 15 innings.

Guerrero last pitched on Wednesday which is likely when the injury occurred. No word yet on the severity of the strain or on when he may be available to pitch in the postseason. Wyatt Olds was recalled from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move to take his place in the Red Sox’ bullpen on Sunday.

Nothing has changed in the prognosis for White, who underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ligament in his foot last week. This was done as a procedural move to free up a spot on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster for the return of Tanner Houck (elbow) on Sunday.

The 22-year-old right-hander delivered an excellent performance to notch his first MLB victory on Friday, firing five scoreless innings of relief against the Cubs. He wasn’t going to be available out of the bullpen on Sunday though, so the Red Sox opted to swap him out for a fresh arm.

Houck will make his highly anticipated season debut on Sunday where he’ll function in a bullpen role. The 30-year-old righty has spent the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery and looked sharp over four minor league rehab starts, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and a 9/4 K/BB ratio over eight innings of work. Jedixson Paez was optioned to Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move on Sunday.