What’s next for Red Sox rotation after Sonny Gray injury?

The Red Sox rotation took a hit on Monday morning when Sonny Gray was removed from his start after pitching just 2 2/3 innings in the series finale with the Tigers. 

Gray felt a “grab” in his right hamstring in an at-bat facing Gleyber Torres in the third inning. 

The inning began with Gray allowing a double to Matt Vierling, who drove a ball into left field just out of the reach of a diving Roman Anthony. He then induced a groundout before surrendering an RBI single to catcher Jake Rogers, trimming Boston’s lead to 2-1. Gray struck out rookie phenom Kevin McGonigle but followed with a walk to Torres.

Through the first two innings, there were no signs of trouble. Gray worked around a single in the first and cruised through a 1-2-3 second inning.

“I threw that last 3-2 pitch, and I felt a grab in my right hamstring,” Gray said. “It’s something that I have felt before. In the moment, I kind of knew what it was. I knew I needed to at least throw a warm-up pitch before I felt comfortable continuing.

"When something like that happens, you kind of start going, ‘Should I keep trying to pitch? Should I not pitch? Am I going to make this worse? Am I not going to make this worse?’ You really don’t know what to do. After a warm-up pitch, it was the same feeling. Not a grab, but a tightness after that. It was just there. That was it.”

Following the game, Gray downplayed the severity of the injury, though the Red Sox still placed him on the injured list and recalled left-hander Tyler Samaniego from Triple-A Worcester.

Gray is expected to undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the issue.

“I can honestly say it doesn’t feel like it’s a horrible thing,” said after the Red Sox' 8-6 win over the Tigers on Marathon Monday. “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.

“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.”

This isn’t the first time Gray has dealt with hamstring issues, having landed on the injured list twice in 2022 and again in 2024 with similar concerns.

Through five starts this season, Gray is 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA for Boston.

With Gray sidelined, the Red Sox will need rotation reinforcements and could turn to top pitching prospect Payton Tolle. Gray had been scheduled to start Saturday at Camden Yards against the Orioles.

Boston had already scratched Tolle from his start in Nashville over the weekend, initially holding him in reserve in case Sunday’s game against the Tigers was postponed and required a Monday doubleheader.

Tolle is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA through three starts with Worcester, allowing five runs over 15 innings while posting a 1.07 WHIP and holding opponents to a .214 batting average.

Boston’s depth is already being tested just 22 games into the season. Johan Oviedo is on the 60-day injured list with a flexor strain, while Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval both remain sidelined without clear timelines for their returns. Another option could have been righty Tyler Uberstine, but he's on the 7-day WooSox injured list dealing with right shoulder soreness. 

While Tolle appears to be a leading candidate to replace Gray in the rotation, the Red Sox could also turn to fellow left-hander Jake Bennett, who owns a 0.55 ERA and 0.61 WHIP across four Triple-A starts this season.

Outside of Tolle and Bennett, Worcester lacks a traditional starter. The WooSox have been piecing things together with Alec Gamboa (42 career MiLB starts) and Michael Sansone (11 MiLB starts) filling rotation spots. Sansone made his first start for Worcester over the weekend and impressed, tossing six scoreless innings against Nashville while allowing two hits and two walks, striking out five with seven swings and misses.

Ahead of this week’s home series against Syracuse, the WooSox are promoting left-hander Eduardo Rivera from Double-A Portland, according to SoxProspects' Chris Hatfield. Another southpaw, Rivera has been dominant in his first two starts, recording 16 strikeouts to just three walks with a 0.90 ERA. He has made 11 starts for the Sea Dogs over the past two seasons.

Boston has additional arms at Double-A who could soon factor into the Triple-A picture as depth continues to thin. Right-hander John Holobetz has impressed through three starts, posting a 1.13 ERA with 23 strikeouts, while left-hander Hayden Mullins has recorded 19 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings with a 4.63 ERA. Mullins likely profiles more as a bulk-innings option at the big league level, but with the Red Sox searching for innings, both he and Holobetz could be called upon if needed.

The Red Sox now turn their attention to a key three-game series against the Yankees at Fenway Park, entering play four games back in the American League East. As currently lined up, Connelly Early is set to start Tuesday, followed by Ranger Suárez on Wednesday, with Brayan Bello slated for the series finale on Thursday.

Crochet remains a question mark after back-to-back rough outings. He was shelled by the Twins for 11 runs (10 earned) last Monday and followed it up by allowing five earned runs over five innings against the Tigers. With Gray now sidelined and the rotation searching for consistency, Crochet will be leaned on even more to stabilize things. The left-hander carries a 7.88 ERA, and Boston is just 1-13 this season when its starter fails to complete six innings.

Early has also shown encouraging signs, pitching deeper into games and working six innings in his last start against Minnesota. He allowed just one run on two hits with two walks and five strikeouts, marking the first time this season he’s worked beyond the fifth inning. Through four starts, he owns a 2.29 ERA over 19 2/3 innings.

Bello, however, remains inconsistent. The right-hander has struggled to put hitters away and at times appears more focused on chasing strikeouts than generating weak contact.

Fortunately for Boston, Suárez appears to have found his groove and is beginning to look like the $130 million investment the club envisioned. He delivered eight scoreless innings in a dominant outing Friday, with the Red Sox ultimately winning on a walk-off single by Masataka Yoshida. Dating back to his previous start, Suárez has now thrown 14 consecutive scoreless innings.

Crochet remains a question mark after back-to-back rough outings. He was shelled by the Twins for 11 runs (10 earned) last Monday and followed it up by allowing five earned runs over five innings against the Tigers. With Gray now sidelined and the rotation searching for consistency, Crochet will be leaned on even more to stabilize things. The left-hander carries a 7.88 ERA, and Boston is just 1-13 this season when its starter fails to complete six innings.

Alex Cora has maintained since the spring, “If we pitch, we’re going to win.” That belief will be tested with Gray out and potential reinforcements stepping in to fill the void.

It’s possible the Red Sox could reshuffle the rotation and have Tolle start Tuesday, especially after he was scratched from his scheduled WooSox outing and replaced by Isaac Coffey.

In the short term, Samaniego provides a fresh arm for a taxed bullpen that used seven relievers on Monday. The left-hander made his major league debut earlier this month and impressed, striking out four over 3 2/3 scoreless innings in three appearances. He was optioned in favor of Jack Anderson, who has logged six innings with four strikeouts across two outings.

Boston still has internal options, but the depth is thinning quickly. With starters struggling to provide length, the bullpen is being leaned on heavily. The Red Sox may continue to cycle arms from Worcester to patch things together, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow may also need to explore external options to bolster pitching depth at the upper levels.