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Red Sox roster moves: Sonny Gray to IL (hamstring) with MRI pending; lefty reliever called up
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- Red Sox roster moves: Sonny Gray to IL (hamstring) with MRI pending; lefty reliever called up
BOSTON — Red Sox starter Sonny Gray is hoping to avoid a lengthy absence after leaving Monday's start with right hamstring tightness. He won't, however, avoid the injured list.
Boston will place Gray on the 15-day IL and recall left-handed reliever Tyler Samaniego from Triple-A Worcester before its series opener against the Yankees on Tuesday, sources told MassLive. For now, that's the only roster move planned for Tuesday, though other machinations could come into play before first pitch at 6:45 p.m. ET.
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Gray pitched 2 ⅔ innings Monday before feeling a "grab" in his right hamstring and exiting the game after one warm-up pitch. He will have an MRI on Tuesday morning to assess severity. Gray, who has dealt with hamstring issues in the past, is positive about his outlook but it's clear the Red Sox are planning to be cautious. Tuesday's move will sideline Gray for at least a two-week period .
"I can honestly say it doesn't feel like it's a horrible thing," Gray said after Monday's 8-6 Red Sox win . "It's just something that's going to take however long it's going to take to get right. I don't know what that is right now.
"I'm not concerned for a long-term thing. Having familiarity with it is a good thing because it's kinda like a 'crap' thing too because you have familiarity with the same thing. It doesn't feel as bad as it has other times where I have missed time. I will say that. And that's a good thing."
The Red Sox will need to replace Gray in the rotation and the top candidate to do so is left-hander Payton Tolle , who was scratched from his scheduled start at Triple-A Worcester over the weekend as part of a contingency plan with weather threatening games in Boston. Tolle was not called up — and as a result, has not pitched for the WooSox since April 12. The Red Sox will assess their rotation plans in the coming days, a source said, and see what makes the most sense for the group as the club tries to replace Gray. Jake Bennett is another option who has pitched well at Triple-A.
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It's possible that someone is promoted to start before Gray's scheduled turn in Baltimore on Saturday, with everyone else pushed back a day. For now, lefty Connelly Early will pitch Tuesday's series opener against the Yankees. Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello are scheduled to pitch the final two games against New York but could, in theory, be pushed back. The Red Sox are thin on rotation depth with Johan Oviedo (flexor strain) and Tyler Uberstine (shoulder inflammation) on the IL and two other pitchers (Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval) currently shut down from their rehab assignments with arm soreness.
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BETTING:Red Sox -1.5 run line is currently at +190 on FanDuel for Tuesday's series opener against the Yankees. Our in-depth FanDuel Sportsbook review shows you how to navigate their site.
Samaniego made his major league debut earlier this month and pitched well in three big league games, striking out four in 3 ⅔ scoreless innings. He was sent down last week when the Red Sox called up righty Jack Anderson to eat innings in the wake of Garrett Crochet 's disastrous start in Minnesota . Gray, who pitched well before departing Monday, has a 2-1 record and 4.30 ERA in five starts with Boston after being acquired in a November trade with St. Louis .
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