Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray left Monday’s game against the Washington Nationals with an undisclosed injury in the bottom of the second inning. The right-hander was scheduled to be St. Louis’ opening day starter on March 28 against the Dodgers.
Those plans might be on hold, however.
Gray had recorded five outs before he experienced pain after throwing just two pitches to Nats outfielder Nick Senzel. He was seen in the dugout with the Cardinals training staff getting hydrated, and it was revealed later that there was tightness in his hamstring. He had thrown just 20 pitches up to that point.
Following the game, Sonny Gray declined to discuss his apparent injury, saying he wanted to wait to see what the severity of the injury is first.
His First Year in St. Louis Has Gotten Off to a Scary Start
Gray’s departure from the mound was an instant scare for the Cardinals and their fans. Some initially thought it was the worst possible scenario. That their newly acquired free agent had ended his season before it started.
While that doesn’t appear to be the case, there’s a reason that the fanbase was so alarmed. After watching the team tumble into last place in the National League Central last season, the tension is high in Cardinal Nation in 2024. Their 71-91 finish was met with an offseason where president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and general manager Monti Ossenfort went shopping for pitching.
Sonny Gray exits with a hamstring injury and the #STLCards get shut out by the Nationals in Grapefruit League action.
After finishing second in the AL Cy Young voting for the Twins, the club signed the righty to a three-year, $75 million deal.
“Where I am in my career, I want to win,” Gray said at the time of his signing. “Walking in here this morning, you see the history. It’s there. The feel is there. It’s a baseball town and a baseball city, a place I’m thrilled to be able to come be a part of.”
Part of the new mix for the team was fellow incoming starters Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. The trio of veterans was brought in to help shore up a pitching staff that sported a 4.79 ERA in 2023. They were to be joined by Cardinals holdovers Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz.
Sonny Gray was tabbed as the ace of that newly reformed rotation. At least, that was the blueprint.
When will We Know the Status of Sonny Gray?
As of now, Gray’s departure from the game is considered ‘precautionary’, and the Redbirds are expected to make an announcement on Tuesday afternoon regarding his status to start the season. He got an MRI shortly after leaving Monday’s contest.
Sonny Gray headed for an MRI this afternoon on his right hamstring. Team will know more once that’s reviewed.
“As of Monday evening, the St. Louis Cardinals were awaiting results, discussion of Sonny Gray’s MRI,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s Derrick Goold wrote on his X page. “They’ll know more this morning when the pitcher arrives — but it’s a late arrival time for the team, a show-and-go for the game vs Gray’s former team, the Twins.”
St. Louis and its fans have a reason for concern, however. While Gray, 34, had a healthy season a year ago, he had multiple stints on the injured list in 2022. Three times, he was sidelined with similar injuries. So his history with hamstrings is a little bit disturbing.
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Cardinals Starter Sonny Gray Forced to Exit his Second Spring Start With an Injury