New York Yankees: Gray gets pushed to the bullpen, what now?

Sonny Gray posted another mediocre outing, provoking the Yankees to move him to the bullpen. Can the former Athletics ace figure it out as a reliever?

The New York Yankees continue to give Sonny Gray another chance. Yet just when he seems to be improving, he posts another abhorrent outing.

It’s a repetitive cycle, and New York’s front office has had enough of it.

The Yankees transferred Gray from the rotation to the bullpen after Wednesday’s uninspiring start. He surrendered seven earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings – against the worst team in baseball.

But the 28-year-old’s entire season has been a disappointment.

Gray’s numbers this year are not as bad as his stats from 2016, but they aren’t that far away from them. He sports a disheartening 5.56 ERA with a career-high WHIP of 1.52, which ranks seventh-worst in the MLB.

Who currently boasts the worst WHIP in the league? That honor is awarded to Gray’s replacement, Lance Lynn. Nevertheless, Lynn provided 4 1/3 innings without allowing a run in relief Wednesday.

Gray cannot get his control together on the bump. He currently has his highest walk rate in his career. And he’s already tied his career-high for hit-by-pitches with seven.

Essentially, everything has gone downhill for the former All-Star since he joined New York. It’s hard to imagine that Gray was a Cy Young candidate just three years ago.

Now the Yankees pitcher will have to re-earn his reputation as a young hurler with loads of potential. And rather than demoting him, New York still has him in the pen to contribute.

Gray will essentially determine his own fate with the Yankees.

What will New York do with him?

While the Yankees own one of the best records in the MLB, their pitching staff isn’t superb. Hence, the front office acquired multiple pitchers at the deadline.

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And now that they have multiple options, they will no longer give starters a long leash. If a back-end starter endures a meltdown, they may be pushed out a few weeks.

Of course, New York has yet to utilize its top pitching prospect in Justus Sheffield yet. However, that time may be near.

Nevertheless, Gray could be gone by the end of the month. It wouldn’t necessarily be a surprising move, considering how unreliable he has been.

Yet, there are several teams in the league that would take a chance on pitcher. And in return, it would allow the Yankees to experiment with Sheffield and possibly even Chance Adams, despite his atrocious numbers.

Gray could also rebound and play a role down the stretch. A postseason appearance seems likely at this point for New York. He tossed a decent game against the defending champions last season.

Thus, anything can happen.

But Yankees fans shouldn’t be in awe if general manager Brian Cashman ships him elsewhere. When a World Series might be on the line, New York might not want the ball in Gray’s hands.