After Garrett Crochet's second straight rough start wrapped the Boston Red Sox's pitching staff in uncertainty, the team looked to Sonny Gray to straighten things out against the Detroit Tigers. Unfortunately, his outing didn't last long enough for him to succeed.
Gray walked Gleyber Torres with two outs in the third inning, then bent down for a few awkward stretches as he returned to the mound. He appeared to grab the back of his leg on the way.
Alex Cora and a trainer met Gray and the rest of the Red Sox infield on the mound. The veteran threw a test pitch before Colt Keith came to the plate, but bent down in the same strange stretching motion afterward. Gray then left the game, walking off the field and down the dugout steps seemingly without a limp, and Danny Coulombe entered in his place.
The next inning, the Red Sox reported that Gray left with hamstring tightness. There's no telling how long that may keep him sidelined, but at least there's nothing up with his arm. Still, the Red Sox's rotation hasn't been as dominant as expected in the early goings of the season, Gray included, but they need him on his game and racking up strikeouts if they hope to bounce back from their slow start.
Sonny Gray leaves Red Sox's Patriots' Day game against Tigers with hamstring tightness amid other rotation struggles
Sonny Gray left his start with an injury in the third inning pic.twitter.com/UicnwehDDy
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 20, 2026
There's never a good time for a pitcher injury but this is a particularly rough moment for Boston. Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval had their rehab assignments stalled by new injuries, — elbow soreness for Crawford and biceps soreness for Sandoval — neither of which is expected to be too serious. Tyler Uberstine, who made his major league debut on April 5, is also on the Triple-A injured list with shoulder soreness. Payton Tolle is healthy and he may be the best backup option for the Sox if Gray needs an IL stint.
Gray hasn't pitched his best so far in this young season but he showed flashes of promise with two consecutive outings of six innings or more in his second and third start. He's posted a 4.30 ERA with 13 strikeouts and five walks over 23 innings. His strikeout rate has decreased significantly from 26.7 last year to 12.5 this year. Thankfully, his injury isn't arm related.
Another short outing by a Red Sox starter is a rough outcome for the bullpen. Jovani Morán and Jack Anderson, Boston's long relievers, are both out of commission from other long outings in the series against the Tigers. Coulombe and Zack Kelly entered after Gray, both before the fifth inning. The Red Sox will need substantial outings from their starters when the New York Yankees come to town starting Tuesday, but that's been a lot to ask to this point in the campaign.
Add us as a preferred source on Google