MLB PLAYER NEWS

Oakland’s Gray heads to disabled list

The Sports Xchange

March 09, 2017 at 1:38 pm.

Mar 7, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) during a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 7, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) during a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland A’s pitcher Sonny Gray will be shut down for at least three weeks because of a lat strain and will start the season on the disabled list, A’s manager Bob Melvin said Thursday.

An MRI revealed the injury, and Gray was scheduled for another doctor’s appointment Thursday.

Gray is not expected to pitch again until late April.

Injuries limited Gray to 22 starts last season, when he went 5-11 with a 5.69 ERA. Gray went 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA in 2015 when he was named to the All-Star squad.

“It’s very disappointing for him,” Melvin said of Gray, according to the San Jose Mercury News. “He came to camp ready to go, worked as hard as he’s ever worked even though he’s a hard working kid to begin with. Was very positive. Obviously he gave up some runs but the stuff was really good, I felt like on a nice pace for him, so this is another setback. He’s going to have to deal with it, as we are, unfortunately.”

Gray first noticed the problem after his last start on Tuesday when he allowed seven runs on five hits and four walks in two innings or work.

Melvin said Gray was stunned by the diagnosis.

“It got him a little bit,” Melvin said. “He wasn’t expecting to hear what he heard. Obviously (he) felt it a little bit but didn’t feel like it was a big deal. And it’s a bigger deal than we thought.”