Red Sox Set Unexpected Plan for Sonny Gray

With the Boston Red Sox now headed into the home stretch of September, it seems the top priority is ensuring the health of their top arms.

Just two weeks ago, the club chose to skip the start of young lefty Jake Bennett, pushing him back to pitch on eight days of rest rather than the standard four. At the same time, they placed key relievers Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten on the injured list after an increased workload led to elbow discomfort.

Now, the Red Sox are exercising more caution with their number one starter, Sonny Gray.

Gray last toed the rubber on Wednesday, August 26th in Miami where he was hit with a loss after allowing seven hits and two earned runs through five innings. On regular rest the veteran would have made his next appearance on Tuesday in Boston, but the team announced Sunday that their pitching plan for the Mariners series would consist of Payton Tolle, TBD, and Patrick Sandoval.

When asked about Gray’s absence from the plan before Sunday’s series finale in New York, manager Chad Tracy said that they were still talking it through but insisted that everything is fine with him physically.

A postgame report from Tim Healey of The Boston Globe provided some more insight, revealing that Gray’s turn in the rotation will be skipped this week and his next start will come on Saturday in Baltimore.