Getty Images St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray
Entering the 2024 season, the St. Louis Cardinals added several important pieces to their pitching rotation.
However, the acquisition considered the ace of the staff, Sonny Gray, went down with a strained hamstring just 20 pitches into his second spring training start.
According to The Athletic’s Katie Woo, the righthander is set to make his first regular season start when the Cardinals host the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium on Tuesday, April 9.
He’s expected to face Phillies righthander Zack Wheeler (0–1, 0.75 ERA) when he takes the mound on Tuesday.
Gray, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award runner-up while pitching for the Minnesota Twins, was acquired via free agency in the offseason. He inked a three-year, $75 million free-agent contract that also includes a club option for 2027.
Gray was part of a trio of starters — including fellow free agents Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson — that team president John Mozeliak acquired in an attempt to shore up a staff that posted a 4.79 team ERA in 2024.
Getting Sonny Gray Back Gives the Cardinals a Boost
Gray will be held to a pitch count of “roughly 65” in his first start back, according to Woo, but his full-time return will give Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol a lot more depth.
Reliever Zack Thompson was pressed into duty during Gray’s tenure on the injured list.
Marmol says aside from his arm, Gray has some other X-factors that will benefit the ballclub.
“Man, this is a big piece for us and he’s beyond excited to compete and help us and we’re excited as a staff,” the St. Louis skipper said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I’m excited to see him out there in our uni helping us do exactly that. His competitive demeanor and personality are contagious and you can’t have enough of it. We have a good amount of it at the moment. Adding him to it seems like it could get fun.”
Sonny Gray will make his #STLCards debut Tuesday against the Phillies
He will be on a pitch limit of about 65
Much like his manager, Sonny Gray is optimistic about his initial start with the team.
“Physically, I feel great,” Gray said, via The Athletic. “Mentally I feel like I’m in a great spot. I just feel like I’m more than capable to go out and compete in a big-league game.”
The Road Back to the Redbirds
Gray was originally scheduled to be the Redbirds’ 2024 Opening Day starter. However, he was injured in his spring training start against the Washington Nationals on March 4.
In the second inning of that showdown, the righty recorded just five outs before experiencing pain while throwing to Nats outfielder Nick Senzel.
He was with the Cardinals training staff getting hydrated, and it was revealed later that there was tightness in his hamstring. He had thrown only 20 pitches up to that point.
It’s the same type of injury that knocked Gray out of action on three different occasions during his 2022 season with Minnesota. Despite being initially ruled as a “mild strain,” management still placed him on the 15-day injured list as a precautionary measure.
A three-time All-Star, Gray has a career mark of 98-85 record in 10 seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Twins.