The Boston Red Sox announced a concerning Sonny Gray injury update Monday, placing the right-hander on the 15-day injured list after he exited the team’s annual Patriots’ Day game against the Detroit Tigers with right hamstring tightness. The move leaves a significant void in Boston’s rotation and leaves the door wide open for the organization’s No. 1 pitching prospect.
The move comes one day before the New York Yankees visit Fenway for the first meeting between the archrivals since the Yankees ousted Boston from the playoffs in an American League Wild Card Series last October.
Gray walked off the mound after issuing a walk to Gleyber Torres with two outs in the top of the third inning. The right-hander made a noticeable flexing motion with his lower body, prompting manager Alex Cora and trainer Brandon Henry to visit the mound. After just a single warmup pitch, Cora pulled him from the Patriots’ Day 11 a.m. contest. Left-hander Danny Coulombe entered and stranded the two inherited runners.
Gray had been 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA across five starts for Boston in 2026. He was the team’s first significant acquisition of the offseason.
GettyBOSTON, MA – APRIL 20: As manager Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox signals the bullpen for a pitcher, starting pitcher Sonny Gray #54 leaves the game with a trainer after being injured during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on April 20, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Sonny Gray’s Hamstring Injury Deals Blow to Red Sox Rotation
Cora said after the game that Gray will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. Although the injury is not believed to be serious, the club moved swiftly, according to NBC Sports Boston‘s Justin Leger, placing Gray on the 15-day IL immediately.
The timing is rough for a rotation that was already operating with reduced depth. Johan Oviedo, another offseason addition who was competing for a rotation spot out of spring training, is already on the 60-day injured list with a flexor strain. Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are also on the IL without confirmed return timelines. Boston’s margin for error is essentially gone.
Gray entered the season as the club’s most high-profile pitching addition. Five starts in, the Red Sox are now scrambling for answers.
Red Sox Top Prospect Payton Tolle Emerges as Likely Replacement
The leading internal candidate to fill Gray’s rotation spot is Payton Tolle, the Red Sox’s No. 1-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old left-hander has been sharp in Triple-A Worcester to open 2026, posting a 19-strikeout, five-earned-run line across 15 innings in three starts. Boston went so far as to scratch him from a scheduled Saturday start with Worcester in case a weather postponement forced a Monday doubleheader, a clear signal the club had him on standby.
Ian Cundall of Baseball America spoke highly of the TCU product during the offseason.
“He’s one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball,” Cundall said, as quoted by NBC Sports Boston. “I’d expect him to take a really big step forward.”
Tolle, selected by Boston in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, made his major league debut last season and pitched in Yankee Stadium in the postseason. His secondary pitches, identified as a weakness, were the focus of his development assignment in Worcester.
Boston does have an alternative option if the club prefers to keep Tolle in the minors a bit longer. Left-hander Jake Bennett, acquired from the Washington Nationals for right-hander Luis Perales, has been dominant in Triple-A, carrying a 0.55 ERA and 0.61 WHIP across four starts. Either way, the Red Sox will need to fill Gray’s spot quickly. Boston’s next scheduled rotation turn falls within the coming days, and the front office has a decision to make.
The Red Sox planned to call up lefty Tyler Samaniego before the Yankees series, but Samaniego is a reliever. Gray’s turn in the rotation would not come up until Saturday, when the Red Sox face the Orioles in Baltimore, giving the team the next few days to either call up Tolle or find another starter.
Boston Red Sox Announce Worrying Sonny Gray Update as Yankees Series Looms