The Red Sox are taking a cautious approach with Sonny Gray as September begins, pushing back his next start and giving their ace nearly 10 days between outings.
Gray, who last pitched on August 26, was originally lined up to work Tuesday, September 1. Instead, he’s now set to face the Orioles on Saturday, September 5. The move gives the 36-year-old extra rest as Boston tries to keep its staff fresh for the stretch run.
That kind of management matters even more with the Red Sox already dealing with pitching uncertainty. Garrett Crochet has been sidelined since April with a shoulder injury, though he believes he can return as a reliever.
Roman Anthony and Trevor Story also recently came off the IL after long recoveries. With the group still being pieced back together, Gray has carried a heavy load.
His season has been excellent. Gray is 16-4 with a 2.82 ERA, and those 16 wins are a career-high. Through 25 starts, he has thrown 143.2 innings, struck out 128, walked 37, and posted a 1.18 WHIP.
He made five starts in August and went 3-2, but his latest outing was notable because he was limited to five innings for the first time since July 25. Boston clearly wants to avoid pushing him too hard now that the calendar has turned.
Interim manager Chad Tracy said the team is still mapping things out.
"We’re just talking through what we want to do," Chad Tracy said. "It’s September, and we’re talking through, what do we want to do and how do we want to structure this rotation? … We’ll get more information as we go."
The Red Sox also have some flexibility with rosters expanding from 26 to 28 on September 1. That could allow them to bring up another arm or simply use Tuesday as a bullpen game.
For now, Gray’s next turn is set, and Boston is clearly treating every inning from here on out like it matters.
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