Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray has been diagnosed with a “mild” strain of his right hamstring, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced Tuesday morning (X link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). While Mozeliak called it “encouraging” news that Gray had dodged a more serious strain, he acknowledged that it could be “challenging” to get Gray ready for the beginning of the season and that Opening Day is now “in question” for the team’s top offseason acquisition.
Gray missed time with a pair of strains in this same hamstring as a member of the Twins back in 2022, though Mozeliak told reporters today that the team is confident this is less severe. It’s a mild enough issue that Mozeliak has already spoken out against the possibility of Gray’s injury spurring further additions on the starting staff (X link via John Denton of MLB.com).
“I definitely feel it’s not something that is required at this point,” Mozeliak said when asked about potentially bringing in some additional help for the rotation. “Obviously if something changes, we’d have to look at it differently, but we’re not thinking we’ll have to do anything now.”
The Cardinals haven’t spoken with the Boras Corporation about either Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery recently, and a “mild” injury for Gray would’ve been an unlikely catalyst for such a major response anyhow. Mozeliak’s comments make it unlikely that remaining second-tier arms like Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevinger will be considered, though it’s possible the Cards could look to add some modest depth either via waivers or perhaps with a minor league deal for a veteran who’s amenable to a non-guaranteed pact.
With Gray presumably on the shelf to start the season, the Opening Day nod feels likelier to fall to veteran Miles Mikolas. He’d be followed by lefty Steven Matz and righties Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, both of whom signed a one-year contract in free agency this past offseason. (Matz is entering the third season of a four-year, $44MM free agent deal himself.) The top in-house options to step into the fifth starter spot, if needed, are lefties Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson. Fellow southpaw Drew Rom made eight starts for the Cards last season but struggled to an ERA north of 8.00 in the process.
The Cardinals signed Gray to a three-year, $75MM contract this offseason and forfeited their second-highest draft pick as well as $500K of space from next year’s international bonus pool in order to do so. He’d already been tabbed the team’s Opening Day starter. Gray finished second to Gerrit Cole in American League Cy Young voting last season after giving the Twins 184 innings of 2.79 ERA ball through 32 starts. He fanned 24.3% of his opponents against a 7.3% walk rate.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, posted the fifth-worst ERA in baseball at 5.08 — a number that includes 21 starts from Montgomery (3.52 ERA) and 20 from Jack Flaherty (4.43 ERA) — both of whom were traded at the deadline. The trio of Gray, Gibson and Lynn was signed in large part to provide some stable veteran innings, though Gray obviously comes with a front-of-the-rotation ceiling as well. For now, his ability to lead the staff will be placed on hold, but if it’s a short enough absence there’ll still be time for Gray to perhaps make 30 starts for the Cards when all is said and done.
HopefulTwinsFan
Suddenly I don’t feel bad the Twins didn’t bring him back.
martras
Yeah. That 1 start he might miss is definitely worth having Joe Ryan of the 5.00+ ERA in the 2nd half as the #2 rotation guy.
RunDMC
For the $75M they gave 35 y/o Gray, it looks like now they could have a younger (possibly better) Snell/Montgomery, for something similar or possibly less, with an opt out that’s exercised.
5TUNT1N
Don’t forget in snells case you’ll lose draft pick and intl bonus money.
martras
@RunDMC – Gray’s base salary this year is $10MM. Pretty sure you’re not getting Snell or Montgomery for that. If Snell or Montgomery take a 1 year plus player option(s) deal, they’re not signing for $25MM AAV, either.
thebirds
Also the Cardinals just got younger.. right?
TheMan 3
Except that a hamstring injury can worsen easily during the season so he might miss more than one start, Einstein
baseballpun
Every pitcher in baseball is a throw away from blowing out his elbow.
martras
@TheMan3 – Well, I suppose that’s the reason the Cardinals aren’t trying to have him pitch through it, “da Vinci.”
Hamstrings are easy to tweak, but if it’s minor they can fully heal up in a week or two. If it was a more serious strain or the Cardinals were going to have him try to pitch through it, there’d be reason to be concerned about a longer absence.
baseballpun
Well it’s not like the season is going to hinge on whether Gray misses a start or two in April.
Go sign Monty.
Slider_withcheese
The season was always going to hinge on the four has-beens behind him.
nukeg
Monty will need at least a month to ramp up. You’ll be lucky to get April starts from him.
Ambulance Chaser Boras always touts the “Off the field workouts” which as anyone who’s played the game knows are a joke at replicating ST preparation..
This one belongs to the Reds
Rub dirt on it and get back out there!
Sorry, heard my old coaches in my head.
Goldbusch
Starting the season 0-3 anyhow.
screwball8
0-7
Buzzz Killington
Yeah I really don’t understand how they decided to keep all their position players talent and just sign iffy veterans for pitching. Mid season manager firing coming this year.
paulk-2
Wont matter. Another Yes man will be hired. Same result.. People don’t get that.
aTouchOfSarcasm
John Mozeliak is already on the phone with MadBums agent, to bring in “another proven quality arm who provides veteran leadership.”
acoss13
Nah, Bumgarner’s too busy with his rodeo career at this point.
Card66
Getting off to a great start with our only good starting pitcher acquired in the off season. Looks like another tough start to the season
User 2161944466
“Mild” in Spanish is June
This one belongs to the Reds
It’s not a Sonny day in St. Louis for sure…
baseballpun
Well it’s worse in Boston.
deweybelongsinthehall
The NL Central is wide open and I’m believing in the Reds who could be this year’s Orioles.
PiratesPundit51
It’s certainly plausible, provided they get enough offense to overcome the shortcomings of their bullpen.
Raysasineppswasplanted
You’re right on the money, they don’t win any single playoff game lately.
octavian8
Cincy’s bullpen was addressed in the off season and is way better than last spring.
Jjjj
Reds bullpen looks very intriguing to me and may end up a strength.
laynestaley2002
Diagnosed, or MO-splained, as a “mild” strain. Which means he will be out for a month or two and the Cardinals will flounder in an already very weak division, instead of bringing in Lorenzen or even Clevinger on a short-term deal as some insurance.
DCartrow
Cardinals’ outlook gone from sunny to gray.
Raysasineppswasplanted
Man! That’s brilliant as a Sunny day
themed
Cardinals will be just fine. Best starting staff in baseball with a lights out bullpen. Good things are happening for the Caythis year!
TheMan 3
Correction
Best over the hill starting pitching in baseball
VonPurpleHayes
“Best starting staff in baseball”
…Whaaaaaaaaa?
vaderzim
Today is the first of many big injury days.
Unclemike1526
There’s still 3 weeks to go until the season starts. i wouldn’t put much into it just yet but every week he misses he has to ramp up again to get his pitch count back up or it’ll put a strain on the bullpen. Still not the best of news for the Cards.
PiratesPundit51
This was never an “if” but rather a “when” in respect to Gray. The biggest shocker here is that he beat Matz to the IL.
Blackpink in the area
It’s really lame when a guy gets hurt for someone to say they told you so. Just a pathetic thing to do as a person.
cman
yawn. There’s no crying in baseball.
Goose
This shouldn’t be surprising. Last year Gray had a throw back season. He always had some chronic issue.
cman
It’s because he’s not really hurt. This is his way of not having to pitch the whole season and skipping out on spring training. Guy has a titanic sized ego.
Dock_Elvis
Gray is good for an IL stint. Hopefully this gets it out of the way.
Old York
A mild strain and he’s out for the start of the season? Sounds like a grade 2 or 3.
Thoughts and prayers that he survives this injury.
cman
Big ego = mysterious injuries that pop up same time every year.
Sourbob 3
There are two narratives going around on the NL Central that I do not buy: 1) that the Cards are the favorites 2) that the Reds will build on their 2023 success.
I just don’t believe the pitching changes the Cards made will be enough. I don’t think Marmol is the right manager. And I don’t think they have a realistic plan to work around how bad Contreras is at calling games/managing the pitching staff.
As for the Reds, they certainly *could* get better in 2024. But they were pretty far ahead of their Pythag record in 2023 and to improve they’d need to make up that ground and then some. I think asking for high end outcomes from a staff of unproven (though talented) young players two years in a row would be asking a lot. Could happen, but I think it’s at least as likely they backdlside or tread water.
I’d almost bet on the Pirates doing a mini-surge this year before I would bet on the Reds to do it twice in a row.
Unclemike1526
The Reds just like the Tigers have a group of high draft pick P’s that have been injured their whole careers. Now they’re counting on them to all be healthy at the same time for the whole season. I would be willing to bet that it doesn’t happen and it HAS to happen for those teams to leap into the fray.. The odds against it are prohibitive IMO.
Blackpink in the area
Contreras wasn’t the problem last year. The problem was a bad manager, bad coaches and bad defense. Not catcher defense outfield defense.
Sourbob 3
Aren’t they running back the same manager?
Blackpink in the area
Probably until June or July. He’s as good as gone
Sourbob 3
Cubs didn’t let Contreras call games, generally. They called them for him from the bench. I know a lot of us who follow that team were kind of [insert blinking white guy meme] at the idea that he’d be taking the reins from Yadi and handling the staff.
Blackpink in the area
Contreras is a solid catcher. Not great but he really isn’t bad defensively.
Tacoshells
Scotty Boras licking his chops!!
acoss13
Do you think Boras has his people at camps just watching for pitchers talking with medical staff, and then they light up the Boras signal to let him know they got a hot one?
bighiggy
Honestly Lorenzon would be fairly cheap and decent protection
Wren
as the evil borass excitedly rubs his hands together
DeferredFan
Call JG Wentworth. 877-Cash-Now Mozliak.
Deez Cardinals
Smh!!!! The new Cardinals way!!!
AboveHockey
It’s exhausting how many times Cardinals fans have to say “I told you so” to this organization.
diggin4three
If I didn’t love the game (not organization) so much, I would have walked away decades ago.. I would absolutely love the worst team ever if I would’ve grown up in the city or area they play in. Mo & Co makes me more sick, more frequently, than almost anything I can remember in my life, ever. Just looking at Mo makes me gag and want to smash the tv.
diggin4three
If I have to hear and see him talk, at all, then I would prefer to smash Mo with the tv. Some fans seriously hate the guy, I am one of them, and I don’t feel bad or strange about it. The earth would be better without every person remotely like Mo.
notoe69
Bauer is cheap!
Johnny utah
Is it not alarming how many pitchers go down with injuries seemingly every 5 minutes? I mean you dont hear that many hitters getting hurt all the time. Pitchers are missing season after season, not just a day or 2. Blame the coaches, conditioning staff, the development people, the pressure to throw faster & harder…
Cedric.p.nelson
Oh boy
kehi7
The Cardinals should sign Happy Gilmore to pitch for them.
meangreandancingmachine
Sign Lorenzon!!!
We need a sixth vet option starter. Forget Snell or Monty.
MLBTR needs to hire editors
Adams’ writing continues to stink. “Meanwhile” has to START the sentence. It can’t come in the middle, set off by commas.
moneedstogo
Hey Mo? How are three starters working. Out so far? Let me tell you.
Sonny Gray -Injured
Lance Lynn- 18.00 era
Kyle Gibson – 0-2 12.60 era
Somehow I feel this isn’t going to get much better. They will most likely both have an e.r.a.over 5 at the end of the year at best.
I was trying to be optimistic it when your goal is just to get 3 starters who eat innings and give up so many runs then you are counting on an offense which was like l almost last in the league last year in batting with runners in scoring position and scoring runs that doesn’t seem like a good plan. I would rather see the young guys start and k ow for next year. Sad this is all I am hoping for now with my beloved Cardinals.