Oakland A’s Put Ace Sonny Gray On Disabled List With Strained Muscle

The Oakland Athletics announced Sunday that starting right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray would be placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained trapezius muscle near his right shoulder blade.

Oakland A’s Put Ace Sonny Gray On Disabled List

The trapezius is the muscle extending over the back of the neck and shoulders that supports the arm.

“It’s like pitching with a rock in the bottom of your neck and the upper part of your shoulder,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

On Friday, 26-year-old ace Gray threw three wild pitches and walked four while retiring just 10 batters in an 8-3 home loss to the New York Yankees. Gray is 3-5 in nine starts with a 6.19 ERA, third-highest in the American League among qualifying pitchers and 12th-highest overall in baseball. He won 14 games for the second consecutive season last year.

Gray told reporters he received a cortisone shot after Friday’s game. He said he believes the injury is “minor” and doesn’t expect to miss more than the minimum 15 days. He also told reporters his trapezius began to bother him following a bullpen session in Tampa Bay last weekend.

“I don’t think it’s anything too serious, but we just made the decision to go ahead and knock this thing out and not let it linger,” Gray said. “We’ll take these next few days and really work on the back of my shoulder and let the area calm down again, and hopefully when these 15 days are up, never look back from there.”

Gray ranked 13th among qualified starters in ground-ball percentage (52.7), and opposing hitters averaged .255 on balls in play, the fifth-lowest mark in baseball.

The 2015 All-Star has had command problems for much of the season. He has a 10.38 ERA over his past five starts and has lost four straight decisions, matching his career-high.

Right-handed reliever Daniel Coulombe was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to play for the A’s.

PHOTO: BOSTON, MA – MAY 09: Sonny Gray #54 of the Oakland Athletics delivers in the first inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on May 9, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)