Game Details

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Date

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

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First Pitch

7:08 PM ET

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Venue

Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

📺

Sportsnet (Canada) / NESN (New England)

ℹ️

Series

Game 2 of 3 (Boston leads 1-0 after Monday's 5-0 Game 1 victory)

Betting Odds

Verified odds for this game were not available at time of publication. Check your preferred sportsbook for current moneyline, run line, and over/under lines before wagering.

Preview: Momentum Meets a Desperate Home Stand

The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays reconvene at Rogers Centre on Tuesday night for Game 2 of their three-game AL East set, with both clubs sitting well below .500 and desperately trying to find traction in an unforgiving division.

Boston enters riding a three-game winning streak — the first such streak of their 2026 season — and they couldn't have scripted Monday's opener any better. Ranger Suárez was otherworldly, twirling eight shutout innings while allowing just one hit and one walk to go with a season-high 10 strikeouts. Carlos Narváez added the exclamation point with an eighth-inning home run in what became a tidy 5-0 Red Sox road victory. Toronto, meanwhile, was held to just two hits and is now dealing with a rotation in full crisis mode.

Interim manager Chad Tracy — who took over this week following the firing of Alex Cora — has the Red Sox playing energized, disciplined baseball. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are grappling with a loaded injured list that now includes veteran starter Max Scherzer, who was placed on the IL Monday with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.

The pitching matchup for Game 2 is fascinatingly unpredictable: Boston's rookie southpaw Payton Tolle (0-0, 1.50 ERA) squares off against Toronto's Trey Yesavage, who makes his 2026 season debut after returning from a right shoulder impingement that kept him sidelined to start the year.

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Boston Red Sox Analysis

Record: 12-17 (.414) | 7.0 GB in AL East | Current Streak: W3

After a dreadful start to the 2026 campaign — one that cost Alex Cora his job — the Boston Red Sox have quietly found new life under Tracy, a veteran minor league manager who skippered the Triple-A Worcester squad and knows this organization's players intimately. Tracy's first order of business was reshuffling the coaching staff: Jose David Flores was shifted to bench coach, Pablo Cabrera was promoted to first base coach, and Jack Simonetty joins as assistant hitting coach. The early returns suggest the fresh voice was exactly what this club needed.

Boston's biggest strength has been their starting pitching when healthy — but that caveat carries enormous weight. The rotation is currently ravaged by injuries: Tanner Houck has been out since spring training with an elbow issue, Sonny Gray landed on the IL last week with a hamstring strain (out until at least May 6), Kutter Crawford is shelved through mid-May (elbow), Johan Oviedo isn't expected back until mid-June, and Patrick Sandoval joined the list with a biceps injury extending through May 11.

That injury carnage has left the Red Sox piecing together a rotation anchored by the clearly dominant Ranger Suárez — the unquestioned ace of this battered staff — alongside young arms like Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Connelly Early, and now Payton Tolle.

Tolle is the story for Tuesday night. The 23-year-old left-hander (born November 1, 2002) stands a towering 6-foot-6 and CBS Sports notes he is "sticking around for another start" — a genuine vote of confidence from the new coaching staff. His only major league action came September 24, 2025, when he allowed one run in one inning of relief against these very Blue Jays. He carries a 1.50 ERA into Tuesday's assignment. His workload will almost certainly be limited to four or five innings, with the Red Sox bullpen — featuring closer Aroldis Chapman (5 saves) and Garrett Whitlock — expected to handle the remainder.

Offensively, Boston has scored 122 runs through 29 games, roughly 4.2 per game. The lineup has been more encouraging lately, with young shortstop Marcelo Mayer beginning to find his swing, outfielder Roman Anthony contributing, and catcher Carlos Narváez riding a hit streak that culminated in Monday's home run. First baseman Triston Casas remains a notable absence — sidelined through at least June 2 with an abdominal injury — which has hurt Boston's middle-of-the-order production significantly.

Boston's run differential of -6 (122 RS, 128 RA) is manageable for a team near .500 in the AL East, and their road record of 7-9 has actually been more competitive than their 5-8 home mark. The three-game winning streak under Tracy represents a genuine momentum shift at an important juncture of the season.

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Toronto Blue Jays Analysis

Record: 12-16 (.429) | 6.5 GB in AL East | Current Streak: L1

The Toronto Blue Jays entered 2026 with legitimate postseason expectations, but through late April they find themselves in the AL East basement while a startling number of key contributors have hit the injured list. Monday's shutout loss — managing just two hits against Suárez and reliever Chase Lee — illustrated the team's offensive limitations with so many pieces missing.

The injury toll is staggering for a club with championship aspirations. On the pitching staff alone, Toronto is without Jose Berrios (elbow, out until at least May 8), Shane Bieber (elbow, out until at least May 24), Bowden Francis (elbow), and now Max Scherzer (forearm/ankle, out until at least May 10). Four rotation arms down simultaneously. The position player side is equally depleted: Alejandro Kirk (thumb, out until May 18), Anthony Santander (shoulder, out until August 1), Addison Barger (ankle, out until May 4), George Springer (toe, out until at least April 29), Nathan Lukes (hamstring, out until May 5), and Yimi Garcia (elbow, out until May 24) are all sidelined.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remains Toronto's franchise cornerstone — the engine that keeps the offense from completely stalling. The 27-year-old first baseman went 3-for-3 or better on Sunday, continuing to be one of the most feared right-handed bats in the American League. Second baseman Andres Gimenez, listed with an undisclosed injury, is listed as probable for Tuesday's game. His presence would be valuable in a lineup that has been stretched thin.

The pitching story for Game 2 centers on the return of Trey Yesavage. The right-hander became a national story during October 2025, posting a jaw-dropping 2.08 ERA in the World Series across 8⅔ innings — striking out 12 and walking just one. In the full 2025 postseason, he went 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA in six games (five starts). In just three regular season starts in 2025, he was 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 12 innings.

However, red flags surround Tuesday's start. Yesavage returned from his right shoulder impingement and completed a minor league rehabilitation assignment split between Class-A Dunedin and Triple-A Buffalo, going 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA across four games (three starts). Manager John Schneider downplayed those results emphatically: "He checked all of the boxes that we had hoped for. I wasn't really looking at results, more looking at his stuff and the plan we had laid out since spring training."

Yesavage addressed his mindset during the rehab stint: "My mindset was kind of like how I was in the minors, play so they have to bring you up here and whatnot, so just still having that competitive nature and being able to prove that I should be here. The toughest part is it's kind of slow. I wish I could have been up here sooner."

Critically, Yesavage has zero prior MLB experience against the Red Sox. This is a true debut matchup — complete unknown territory for both the pitcher and the opposing lineup.

Toronto's remaining rotation depth — Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Eric Lauer, and Louie Varland — is serviceable but not elite. The Blue Jays' run differential of -28 through 28 games is the worst in the AL East aside from the Angels, revealing a team that is consistently getting outscored despite periodic flashes of quality.

Head-to-Head & Betting Trends

2026 Series Context (entering Game 2):

Game 1 (April 27): Boston won 5-0 — Ranger Suárez pitched 8 shutout innings (1 H, 1 BB, 10 K), Carlos Narváez hit an 8th-inning home run
Toronto's 2026 home record: 8-8 — considerably better than their 4-8 road mark
Boston's 2026 road record: 7-9 — marginally better than their 5-8 home record
Boston under interim manager Chad Tracy: 2-0
Ranger Suárez vs. Toronto (career): 2-0, 0.00 ERA in 17⅓ innings across three career appearances (extended to 25⅓ scoreless innings after Monday)
Trey Yesavage vs. Boston: No prior MLB record — completely uncharted water
Payton Tolle vs. Toronto: One appearance (Sept. 24, 2025) — 1 IP, 1 ER in relief

Situational Trends: The Blue Jays' rotation situation means they are leaning on a pitcher with an uncertain pitch count and health question marks. Season-debut starters returning from shoulder injuries historically command elevated uncertainty — the results in his rehab outings (7.50 ERA) cannot be entirely dismissed, even accounting for the difference in competition level.

Boston, meanwhile, arrives with genuine momentum: a three-game streak, a new manager's honeymoon effect, and the confidence of the previous night's dominant performance still fresh. The Red Sox lineup has not faced Yesavage previously at the MLB level, but neither has Yesavage faced their hitters — a neutral matchup from a scouting standpoint.

Prediction & Best Bets

🎯 Best Bet

Our Pick

📊 Boston Red Sox 4, Toronto Blue Jays 2

This game hinges almost entirely on how Trey Yesavage responds to his first action of 2026. His 2025 postseason heroics are not in question — the pure stuff is elite when he's healthy — but a 7.50 ERA across his four rehab appearances and the inherent risk of a returning shoulder impingement create legitimate concern about his workload and effectiveness against a major league lineup. Payton Tolle is equally unproven as a rookie making just his second professional appearance, but his left-handed profile against Toronto's right-handed-heavy lineup (even depleted as it is) provides a reasonable matchup edge. The Red Sox's current momentum, Toronto's unprecedented depth of injuries, and the uncertainty surrounding Yesavage's return all point toward Boston.

FAQ

Where is the Red Sox vs. Blue Jays Game 2 being played on April 28, 2026?

Game 2 is at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 PM ET (23:08 UTC).

Who is starting for the Boston Red Sox on April 28?

Left-handed rookie Payton Tolle (0-0, 1.50 ERA) gets the start for Boston. The 23-year-old is one of the young arms stepping up while the Red Sox rotation deals with a rash of injuries.

Who is starting for the Toronto Blue Jays on April 28?

Trey Yesavage makes his 2026 season debut. He began the year on the injured list with right shoulder impingement and completed a minor league rehabilitation assignment before returning to the big leagues.

What happened in Game 1 of this Red Sox-Blue Jays series?

Boston dominated Game 1 on Monday, April 27, winning 5-0. Ranger Suárez pitched eight shutout innings (1 H, 1 BB, 10 K), and Carlos Narváez hit a home run in the eighth inning. It was Boston's third straight victory — their first three-game winning streak of 2026 — and came in Chad Tracy's second game as interim manager.

Is Max Scherzer available for the Blue Jays this week?

No. Scherzer was placed on the injured list on Monday, April 27, with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. He is expected to miss at least until May 10.

How have the Red Sox and Blue Jays performed in 2026 overall?

Both teams are below .500 in the AL East. Boston is 12-17 (.414), 7.0 games behind the New York Yankees. Toronto sits at 12-16 (.429), 6.5 games back. The Blue Jays hold a slight edge on Boston in the standings but own the worst run differential in the AL East (-28 vs. Boston's -6) through 28-29 games. ---