Oakland Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray suffered a forearm injury during his start against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday and was placed on the 15-day disabled list. It is uncertain when he will return to action.
Continue for updates.
Gray Placed on 15-Day DL
Sunday, Aug. 7
The Athletics announced the roster move, noting Chris Smith was called up from Nashville to take Gray’s place.
Gray’s Injury the Latest in a Long Season for Star Pitcher
This is a difficult blow for Gray, especially since his durability was a defining characteristic in the past two seasons. He pitched 200-plus innings in both 2014 and 2015, but this year has been a different story, as the 26-year-old spent time on the disabled list earlier in the season with a trapezius strain.
Gray came into the 2016 campaign as Oakland’s clear-cut ace after his All-Star campaign in 2015, when he finished third in Cy Young voting with a 2.73 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 169 strikeouts in 208 innings on his way to 14 wins. While he has never posted an ERA higher than 3.08 in a full season, he has struggled mightily in 2016.
Thus far, Gray has posted a 5-11 record with a 5.74 ERA while allowing a career-high 18 home runs.
Oakland does have options to turn to in the starting rotation, including Kendall Graveman and Sean Manaea. But with the playoffs already out of reach for the Athletics, there’s no rush to bring their ace back as they finish off a disappointing season.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com