Dustin Pedroia's status is still up in the air, but what is certain, is who will replace him both at second base and in the No. 2 hole in the Red Sox lineup.
Marco Scutaro, who was activated to the roster before the Yankees series, and had been filling in for Jed Lowrie at shortstop, will man Pedroia's spot in the lineup and in the field in the series finale in New York on Thursday night. It's Scutaro's first start at second base.
Lowrie returns after battling some shoulder issues, but he's back in the lineup to face CC Sabathia. The Red Sox lineup will feature Lowrie batting in the sixth spot, bumping Carl Crawford down to the seventh hole.
Scutaro, though, makes sense, especially on Thursday night, considering his strong career numbers against Sabathia. The infielder has a .345 (10-for-29) average lifetime against the big left-hander.
Mike Cameron has also hit Sabathia well over the course of his career, and with the lefty on the mound, Cameron will get the start in right field in favor of J.D. Drew. Cameron is a .421 (8-for-19) in his career against Sabathia.
Red Sox starter Josh Beckett will look to continue his scoreless streak against the Yankees, as the right-hander has tossed 14 scoreless frames in two starts against New York this season.
Derek Jeter will hit leadoff and play shortstop for New York, as he closes in on 3,000 hits. He enters Thursday night's game with 2,989 career knocks.
Here's how both teams will start.
Boston
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Marco Scutaro, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jed Lowrie, SS
Carl Crawford, LF
Mike Cameron, RF
Jason Varitek, C
New York
Derek Jeter, SS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Jorge Posada, DH
Bret Gardner, LF
Francisco Cervelli, C