BOSTON — After leaving Monday’s start due to hamstring tightness, Red Sox starter Sonny Gray will undergo an MRI on Tuesday morning to determine severity. At this point, though, the club doesn’t think it’s a serious injury and Gray — who has dealt with similar issues in the past — is remaining hopeful.
“I can honestly say it doesn’t feel like it’s a horrible thing,” Gray said after an 8-6 Red Sox win. “It’s just something that’s going to take however long it’s going to take to get right. I don’t know what that is right now.”
On a 3-2 pitch to Detroit’s Gleyber Torres in the third inning, Gray felt a “grab” in his right hamstring and immediately recognized it. Pitching coach Andrew Bailey went out to visit him after the pitch (ball four) and soon after, manager Alex Cora and head athletic trainer Brandon Henry were on the mound, too. Gray threw one warm-up pitch to test the hamstring and exited the game after it.
“It’s something I had felt before,” Gray said. “In the moment, I knew what it was. Knew that I needed to at least throw a warm-up pitch before I would feel comfortable continuing. When something like that happens, you start going, like, ‘Should I keep trying to pitch?’”
Added manager Alex Cora: “Credit to him. Sometimes, guys push through that and it makes it worse. We’ll see where we’re at tomorrow and make a decision.”
Gray was a bit hobbled after the game but was upbeat, in part, because of his familiarity with hamstring issues. Early in the 2022 season with Minnesota, hamstring issues limited him to just 6 ⅓ innings (two starts) before May 7. In 2024 with St. Louis, Gray re-aggravated the injury and missed the first two weeks of the season. None of those injuries led to an extended absence, so Gray doesn’t expect one this time.
“I’ve dealt with it for a while, just managed it,” Gray said. “It’s just something I’m always having to monitor since the first time it happened.
“I’m not concerned for a long-term thing. Having familiarity with it is a good thing because it’s kinda like a ‘crap’ thing too because you have familiarity with the same thing. It doesn’t feel as bad as it has other times where I have missed time. I will say that. And that’s a good thing.”
Considering the season is less than a month old, the Red Sox may choose a cautious approach and place Gray on the 15-day injured list so he doesn’t worsen the injury by pitching through it. He’s next due to pitch Saturday afternoon in Baltimore and lefty Payton Tolle, who has pitched well in three starts at Triple-A Worcester, is a natural fill-in option. The Red Sox could also choose to start Tolle early in the week against the Yankees and push back other starters if Gray needs to go on the IL. (UPDATE: A source said late Thursday that Gray will indeed go on the 15-day IL with lefty Tyler Samaniego taking his roster spot.)
“That’s not for me to say, I guess, at this moment,” Gray said when asked about an IL stint.
In any case, roster moves seem likely ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Yankees after Cora used eight relievers in Monday’s win. Putting Gray on the IL would clear one spot for a fresh arm like Tolle, veteran Tommy Kahnle or lefty Tyler Samaniego. Rookies Jack Anderson and Ryan Watson (a Rule 5 pick who struggled again Monday) could also be in jeopardy of losing their roster spots as the Red Sox try to re-shuffle things after a three-day stretch in which their starters combined for just 11 ⅔ innings.
“We’ll see,” said Cora. “It is what it is and we’ll talk about it a little bit now and see if we have to make any moves.”
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