Oakland Athletics activate Sonny Gray from the disabled list
Sonny Gray has yet to appear for the Oakland Athletics this season. That will soon change as the team has activated him from the disabled list.
It’s been a rough year and a half for the Oakland Athletics‘ Sonny Gray. After struggling mightily in 2016, he was forced to the disabled list since the start of the season. However, the Athletics ace will finally get a chance to prove that he’s still the pitcher that he was over the first few years of his career.
According to John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group, Gray was activated onto the 25-man roster today with the club optioning outfielder Ryan LaMarre to Triple-A. Gray is set to make his season debut tomorrow against the Minnesota Twins. The 27-year-old had been recovering from a lat strain that he suffered in spring training.
This comes as much welcomed news for an Athletics team that has suffered from injuries to prospective key contributors like Marcus Semien, Sean Manaea, John Axford, Rajai Davis, Jake Smolinksi and others.
Gray will join a rotation that features Kendall Graveman, Jharel Cotton, Andrew Triggs and Jesse Hahn.
But with Gray’s return comes questions about just how good Gray will be this year. As a rookie in 2013, the Athletics former first-round pick more than held his own, having pitched to a 2.67 ERA in 12 appearances (10 starts). He then followed up his rookie campaign by pitching to ERAs of under 3.10 in the two seasons following.
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However, Gray was one of the bigger disappointments during the 2016 season. He finished the year with an ERA in the mid 5.00s in just 22 starts. His FIP rose by over a full point and he gave up three more hits per nine innings (7.2 H/9 to 10.2 H/9).
It’ll be interesting to see just how good Gray will be in his first appearance, because if he flashes some of the brilliance he showed in his first three years in the majors, the Athletics would certainly be ecstatic. Not just because he makes the A’s more competitive, but it gives them a way to build their farm system if the team is not close to contending come mid-July.
Gray’s recent performance been the biggest story for the Athletics organization over the past year and he’ll take center stage once again now that he’s back on the mound.
Next: Mets' Syndergaard out indefinitely
How do you think Gray will perform for the Athletics in 2017? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.