Sonny Gray Might've Pitched His Way Out Of The Yankees' Rotation After The Trade Deadline

Exactly one year and a day after the New York Yankees acquired Sonny Gray, the right-hander might have pitched his way out of the starting rotation. In a season that’s been highlighted by disappointing outings, Gray had arguably his worst performance in a Yankee uniform with the team heading to Fenway Park for their biggest series of the year.

Gray was pulled with two outs in the third inning of New York’s afternoon affair with the hapless Baltimore Orioles Wednesday in the Bronx. Gray surrendered eight hits, two walks and seven earned runs against an offense that recently traded away two of its best hitters. Only the Kansas City Royals have scored fewer runs in the AL than Baltimore.

Only three AL starters have a worse WHIP (1.52) than Gray, and his ERA (5.56) ranks third-to-last in the league. It looked as if the 28-year-old old might have turned a corner with three consecutive solid outings, but that notion quickly went out the window when he was knocked around by MLB’s worst team.

The Yankees had high hopes for Gray when they sent three prospects to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for the pitcher just hours before the 2017 trade deadline. He posted a solid 3.72 ERA in two months with the club and was pegged as the Game 1 starter against the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS.

It’s been all downhill for Gray since last postseason when he made it through just 8.1 innings in two starts and failed to pick up a win. He’s been especially bad at Yankee Stadium, where he’s pitched to a remarkably poor 7.90 ERA, raising the question of whether or not he’s equipped to handle the bright lights of New York.

In 21 starts, Gray has allowed at least five earned runs seven times to go along with just seven quality starts. He's thrown more than six innings three times this season.

The Yankees reportedly flirted with the idea of trading Gray before Tuesday’s deadline with some teams believing he might flourish in a smaller market, much like he did in Oakland. New York held onto the starter, but general manager Brian Cashman did put the team in a position to take Gray out of the rotation.

By acquiring J.A. Happ, the Yankees effectively removed Gray from their playoff plans. After trading for Lance Lynn, New York has five starting pitching options better than Gray.

Lynn was a disappointment for the Minnesota Twins in the first four months of the season, going 7-8 with a career-high 5.10 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. He’s posted a 3.74 ERA in his last 12 starts, looking much more like the pitcher that never had an ERA above 3.97 in seven MLB seasons.

Even if the Yankees hadn’t traded for Lynn, the argument could be made that Gray no longer deserved another start in 2018. Luis Cessa has made three starts for the Yankees in between stints in Triple-A, pitching to a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings. It’s hard to believe that top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield could perform much worse than Gray in the big leagues after going 4-3 with a 2.37 ERA in 68.1 Triple-A innings.

With the way the Boston Red Sox have played, New York can’t afford to give away any more of Gray’s starts. They entered Wednesday’s contest five games behind their division rivals for first place in the AL East as they try to avoid playing in the Wild-Card Game for a second straight year.

Perhaps the Yankees will give Gray another chance because of the 1.10 ERA he posted in his previous three starts. Lynn relieved Gray Wednesday, and it’s possible the team believes he’s more suited to pitch out of the bullpen.

But with the options that are now available to manager Aaron Boone, it’s hard to believe Gray will be allowed to struggle in the rotation for much longer.