Red Sox activate Nathan Eovaldi, Garret Whitlock off IL ahead of weekend series with Yankees

BOSTON — The Red Sox are not playing good baseball at the moment. But at least some reinforcements have arrived.

Boston will have two key pitchers back on Friday, with Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock activated from the injured list ahead of Friday night’s game against the Yankees in New York.

Eovaldi, who hasn’t started a game for Boston since June 8, will be on the hill for Friday night’s series opener. Whitlock will return to the bullpen for the Red Sox.

This is some great news for a team that is currently in a tailspin, with Boston just 4-10 in July. Eovaldi has been their ace all season, and will help solidify the front end of a rotation that has been relying on minor leaguers for several weeks.

Eovaldi is just 4-2 on the season, but he owns a 3.16 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over his 12 starts. He was on a roll before landing on the IL with a back injury, winning each of his last three starts. Over that span, Eovaldi allowed just two runs over 20 innings, both of which came in a complete game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 28. In his two June starts, Eovaldi held the Athletics and the Angels scoreless over 11 innings of work, allowing 10 hits and a walk while striking out 13.

The righty has made one start against the Yankees this season, back on Opening Day in the Bronx. He got a no decision as he went five innings, allowing three runs off a pair of homers in the 6-5 extra innings loss for Boston.

Getting Whitlock back — and sending him to the bullpen — will certainly help as well. The 26-year-old was being used as a starter before a hip injury landed him on the injured list, but is a versatile and valuable arm in the Boston pen.

And though reliver Matt Strahm ended up on the injured list Friday after getting hit with a comebacker on Tuesday night, it looks like Trevor Story will avoid missing any significant action after he was hit on the right hand with a pitch in Tuesday’s loss. The second baseman took grounders and threw in the infield on Thursday night, and could potentially be back in the Boston lineup this weekend.