MLB: Three Immediate Impact Players Coming Off the DL in May

Sonny Gray

After suffering a muscle strain toward the end of the 2016 season, and a down season in general, the last thing the Oakland Athletics wanted to hear was that Sonny Gray would start the 2017 season on the DL.

Unfortunately for the A’s, that happened. Gray started 2017 on the DL due to a lat strain. The injury left Oakland with a young rotation and Kendall Graveman as the team’s No. 1 starter.

Graveman has stepped up for the club, despite a quick 10-day DL stint. He’s 2-1 and owns a 2.25 ERA in his four starts this season. Nevertheless, the A’s still miss their ace.

In four seasons with the Athletics, Gray is 38-31 with a 3.42 ERA, a 3.61 FIP, a 1.204 WHIP and 513 strikeouts. Gray’s best season came in 2015. Not only did Gray make his first All-Star game in 2015, he finished third in Cy Young voting with a 14-7 record, 2.73 ERA and 169 strikeouts.

Gray followed up his stellar 2015 campaign with a disappointing 2016 season. An injury-filled season led to a 5-11 with 5.69 ERA and just 94 strikeouts. Although, when healthy, Gray is one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Although good news for the Athletics, Gray expects to return sometime next week. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser wrote about Gray’s excellent rehab starts in Nashville. She also wrote that Gray could start as soon as Tuesday.

In his two rehab starts for the Nashville Sounds, Gray’s pitched 11 innings, allowed zero runs on just three hits and zero walks with 11 strikeouts.