The Boston Red Sox and Athletics clash in the first of a four-game series on Monday at Sutter Health Park, at 9:40 p.m. ET. Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.31 ERA) gets the start for the Red Sox, who are 54-50 this season and third in the AL East. Jack Perkins (2-5, 6.75 ERA) is the expected starter for the Athletics, who are 44-61 and fourth in the AL West.

How to watch Boston Red Sox vs. Athletics

Red Sox vs. Athletics odds

• Favorite Moneyline: Red Sox -185
• Underdog Moneyline: Athletics +150
• Total: 9.5
• Total Over Odds: -110
• Total Under Odds: -110

Injury reports

Red Sox

Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 10 Day IL (Forearm), Marcelo Mayer: 10 Day IL (Forearm), Tanner Houck: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Zack Kelly: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Trevor Story: 60 Day IL (Abdomen), Garrett Crochet: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Roman Anthony: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Johan Oviedo: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Kutter Crawford: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Triston Casas: 60 Day IL (Knee)

Athletics

Shea Langeliers: 10 Day IL (Knee), Zack Gelof: 10 Day IL (Knee), Josh Kuroda-Grauer: 10 Day IL (Testicle), Justin Sterner: 15 Day IL (Knee), Mark Leiter Jr.: 15 Day IL (Hip), J.T. Ginn: 15 Day IL (Finger), Denzel Clarke: 60 Day IL (Foot), Brooks Kriske: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Brent Rooker: 60 Day IL (Knee), Luis Severino: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Gunnar Hoglund: 60 Day IL (Knee), Jeffrey Springs: day-to-day (Undisclosed)

Stats to know

• Boston’s Willson Contreras is slashing .288/.388/.547 this season with 22 home runs (15th in MLB), 66 RBIs (14th in MLB) and an OPS of .935 (6th in MLB). He has a 25% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate in 400 plate appearances, and he has scored 53 total runs.
• In 442 plate appearances, Wilyer Abreu has slashed .253/.325/.440 this season. He has hit 15 long balls and driven in 51 runs with a strikeout rate of 21% and a walk rate of 9.5%. He has six stolen bases on nine attempts. He has come around to score 52 times.
• Sacramento’s Nick Kurtz is slashing .264/.402/.499 this season with 21 home runs, 69 RBIs (9th in MLB) and an OPS of .901 (11th in MLB). He has a 32.1% strikeout rate and an 18.3% walk rate in 420 plate appearances, and he has scored 62 total runs. Kurtz has recorded seven steals on eight attempts.
• In 385 plate appearances, Tyler Soderstrom has slashed .251/.348/.473 this season. He has hit 16 long balls and driven in 49 runs with a strikeout rate of 17.9% and a walk rate of 12.2%. and has scored 49 runs.

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Global football’s law-making body has said that mistaken identity should not be used in instances of simulation as it was during the World Cup finals.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), which determines the laws of the game, clarified that mistaken identity can only be used to identity the player who committed an offence rather than the offence itself being reviewed or changed, as in instances of player simulation. They added that the use of the mistaken identity clause going forward was subject to a review of the VAR protocol at the World Cup.

That guidance would mean that Switzerland forward Breel Embolo would not have been shown a second yellow card in his nation’s World Cup quarter-final loss to Argentina.

This summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico had seen a number of new laws introduced, with the video assistant referees (VAR) given extended powers to intervene. Among the changes was VAR’s ability to step in the cases of mistaken identity on yellow and red cards.

The rules of IFAB said ahead of the tournament that the VAR, who has independent access to match footage, may assist the on-field referee in the event of a ‘clear and obvious error’ or ‘serious missed incident’ in relation to mistaken identity, when the wrong player has been shown a yellow or red card.

That, however, led to some confusion over the precise threshold of that law and whether it could include instances of simulation, resulting in a difference offence being charged.

It was first used in the United States’ group-stage win over Paraguay, when Tim Ream was initially shown a yellow card by on-field referee Danny Makkelie for what was perceived as a trip on Paraguay attacker Miguel Almiron. The VAR Carlos del Cerro recommended a review based on ‘mistaken identity’, with the decision used to reverse the decision as Ream did not in fact make contact with Almiron. Makkelie reversed his initial decision and instead booked the Paraguayan for simulation.

Another high-profile use of ‘mistaken identity’ was used in Argentina’s quarter-final win over Switzerland, when Embolo initially was awarded a free-kick with Argentina’s Leandro Paredes booked for a challenge. Again, the VAR recommended the instance be reviewed as there was no contact from Paredes on Embolo, who was upon review deemed to have dived and was shown a yellow card — his second of the game — and sent off. The yellow for Paredes, meanwhile, was overturned.

Embolo (center) was emotional after his red card (Odd Andersen / AFP via Getty Images)

That proved a pivotal moment in the game, coming just five minutes after Switzerland had made it 1-1 in the last-eight tie, with Argentina going on to win 3-1 after extra time.

In a circular on Monday, the IFAB clarified VAR’s protocol on mistaken identity to confirm the original offence should not be overturned — as it was in the instances of Almiron and Embolo receiving yellows for simulation — and it can only be done so if the incorrect player was penalised based on the on-field official’s initial judgement.

The Athletic has approached FIFA for comment.

This was despite the IFAB stating that its use in retrospectively punishing simulation being “well received” during the tournament.

“A yellow card (caution) which is not a second yellow card can only be reviewed to identify the player who committed the offence that was penalised; the offence itself cannot be reviewed/changed,” the ruling reads.

“The use of the mistaken identity clause to deal with simulation during the World Cup was well received and will be included in the detailed review of the VAR protocol announced in circular no. 32. However, it may not be used as such until that review is concluded.”

During the cases of Almiron and Embolo at the World Cup, the VAR advice was changing from the decision of a foul to a decision on simulation which meant reviewing different, subjective offences in which the on-field referee must visit the pitchside screen.

Gotham FC and the club’s World Cup-winning striker Esther González have mutually agreed to terminate the forward’s contract as she “temporarily steps away from soccer to attend to personal matters in Spain,” the club announced Monday.

“We wish Esther and her family all the best as they return home to Spain,” Yael Averbuch West, the president of soccer operations at Gotham, said in a statement. “Esther has been a model professional on and off the field, helping us win four major trophies and serving as a respected leader in our team. We thank her for three great years full of world-class moments of brilliance. We will always support Esther wherever her path leads.”

The 33-year-old forward joined Gotham midway through the 2023 season, after winning the World Cup with Spain in Australia and New Zealand. She immediately became one of the club’s most influential players, helping Gotham capture its first NWSL title later that year by scoring the championship-winning goal.

During her three seasons with the club, González established herself as one of the most prolific scorers in club history. She was a two-time NWSL Best XI selection and a finalist for the 2025 NWSL MVP award. Her 33 goals made her Gotham’s all-time leading scorer, and she helped the club win two championships, including the 2025 NWSL title and the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup.

In 2025, González finished runner-up in the NWSL Golden Boot race with 13 goals. She also became just the second player in league history, after Megan Rapinoe, to record nine multi-goal games for a single club.

Most recently, she scored in Gotham’s 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Current in June, helping the club lift the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup in Columbus, Ohio.

“Gotham FC will always hold a very special place in my heart,” González said in a statement. “From the moment I arrived, I felt something unique about this club — the people, the environment, the way everyone works together every single day. I am grateful for each and every moment shared with my teammates, the coaches, and every single member of this club.”

Before the NWSL, she had an illustrious career at home in Spain. Between 2013 and 2019, she scored 36 goals for Atlético Madrid, where she led the team to three Liga F titles and a Copa de la Reina trophy. At her next club, Levante, she scored 29 goals from 2019-21. And in just two seasons with Real Madrid, Esther scored 39 times and is still one of the club’s leading goal scorers.

The youngest of four sisters from Huéscar, a small town in Spain’s southern Granada province, González has often spoken about the importance of family, reflecting on how central they have always been in her life.  In an interview with The Athletic in the summer of 2025, she talked about her signature goal celebration, forming a “T” with her fist to her forearm, which is a symbolic gesture to her family and partner, representing the energy and adrenaline she feels as a forward and sharing the moment with them, she said, especially with her mother in Spain, who does not miss any of her games.

González and her partner, Estefanía Cruz, announced they were expecting their first child last August. The couple welcomed a son in January.