Sonny Gray Leaves Start Early With Concerning Injury

With their playoff chances slipping away, the Minnesota Twins were dealt another blow on Monday when starting pitcher Sonny Gray exited his start early with hamstring tightness against the Cleveland Guardians.

Gray labored through 2 innings before departing, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits to put Minnesota in an early hole. He clearly wasn't right from the start, as his average fastball velocity was down 2 mph from his season average.

Sonny Gray Injury Update

Minnesota Twins News

This is a major loss for the Twins if Gray is forced to go on the injured list. They entered play on Monday six games out of first in the AL Central with 16 left to play, so their margin for error is basically non-existent at this point.

Gray has quietly been one of the better pitchers in the American League this year, going 8-4 with a 2.83 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings prior to Monday. He hasn't been the most durable, however, as he's already made a pair of trips to the IL.

Minnesota Twins Playoff Odds

With the Twins essentially out of the playoff race (their postseason odds are +4400 on FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds), they may opt to shut Gray down rather than trying to rush him back before the end of the regular season. Barring a last-ditch surge by Minnesota over the next two weeks, there's not much point in bringing back the two-time All-Star for what will likely be meaningless games.