Getty Images St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray
St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray might be ready to make his season debut as early as April 14 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com.
However, the “likely landing spot for Gray’s season debut could come a day later when St. Louis opens a three-game series in Oakland against the Athletics,” the site’s John Denton wrote in an April 2 story.
Gray, 34, was expected to throw about 50 pitches April 3 for Double-A Springfield after initially being scheduled to start for Triple-A Memphis. If that start goes well, he is expected to start April 9 in Memphis with a pitch count of 70 to 75, Denton wrote.
The #STLCards awarded RHP Sonny Gray a three-year, $75 million free-agent deal in November, but he’s yet to pitch this season. Now, with his return pushed back again, read when he might make his regular-season pitching debut with the Cards.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol commented on Gray’s current timetable.
“[Moving Gray’s start from Indianapolis to Springfield] is just weather-related and it makes more sense,” Marmol said, according to Denton. “Then, you‘re looking at Memphis for right around 70 [pitches].”
Sonny Gray Strained a Hamstring in Early March
During the offseason, Cardinals president John Mozeliak made pitching a priority. After adding three veteran free agents, the Redbirds’ rotation looked to be solidified. But an injury to projected ace Gray during spring training left the team shuffling their starters before the season ever started.
Originally scheduled to be the club’s Opening Day starter, Gray, 34, went down with a strained hamstring during his second exhibition appearance, against the Washington Nationals. He had thrown only 20 pitches before being removed.
At the time, Mozeliak classified it as a “mild strain,” and the club appeared optimistic that he might not miss any of the regular season. But the righty hasn’t progressed as quickly as was originally envisioned.
“We’ve had some encouraging news that it’s a mild strain. Not going to put any return-to-play [date] on it,” Mozeliak said on March 5. “It’s been less than 24 hours. We’re going to see how he responds over the next few days. But from the MRI reading, we’re definitely encouraged. Fingers crossed, this isn’t something that’s going to linger too long.”
Sonny Gray Is a Valuable Piece of the Pitching Puzzle
Gray’s injury immediately threw a curveball at the Redbirds, who had high hopes of riding a revamped rotation in 2024. The club finished 71-91 and in last place a year ago. That was due largely to a pitching staff that posted a 4.79 team ERA.
That prompted the signing of Gray, who finished as the 2023 runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award. Along with the former Minnesota Twin, the team added fellow veteran righties Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.
Last season, the #STLCards had the 3rd fewest Quality Starts (48) in the NL.
They’ve gone out and addressed that need.
Here’s a look at how many Quality Starts their additions had in 2023:
– Sonny Gray: 17 QS
– Kyle Gibson: 17 QS
– Lance Lynn: 13 QS
That trio was added to Cardinals holdovers Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz. The group collectively averages around 35 years of age, so durability was certainly a concern over the course of a 162-game season.
Couple that with Gray’s repeated history with hamstring problems. Despite being relatively healthy in 2023, he had multiple stints on the injured list in 2022 for similiar issues. So, even when he makes his return, the team will likely be incredibly be extremely cautious with his workload.
Through April 2, the Cardinals were 3-3 and in last place in the National League Central.