When the Boston Red Sox slotted veteran right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray in as their de facto No. 2 starter heading into 2026, the vision was seemingly stability-based. Gray is a veteran arm who is more than capable of eating innings and anchoring the rotation behind ace Garrett Crochet.
But, just less than two weeks before Opening Day, there are already warning signs that are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore with Gray.
Through his first couple of innings this spring, Gray has struggled mightily. In just 8 2/3 innings, he's posted a 6.23 ERA, allowing two home runs and three seven, while only striking out eight batters.
That alone wouldn't be alarming in a vacuum, as spring stats are often misleading, but it's how those numbers are being produced that raises the concern.
Sonny Gray Has Become a Red Sox Concern
Gray is giving up hard contact and struggling to consistently command his pitches. Those are two issues that tend to translate beyond exhibition play.
Even more concerning is that this isn't just a "working through things" phase where results don't matter. Spring Training is about feel, landing his pitches, controlling counts, etc. If those boxes aren't being checked, it's more of a lack of execution over anything else.
Gray has a long track record of slow springs. He's posted inflated ERAs in exhibition play long before he went to Boston and still turned in strong regular seasons. That history is likely why the Red Sox aren't panicking. At least, just yet.
There's a difference between a slow ramp-up and a visible decline, and at 36 years old, Gray is at a stage in his career where those lines can blur quickly.
His velocity is nowhere near what it once was, sitting in the low 90s, and when his command isn't sharp, that margin for error disappears. Hitters aren't missing mistakes anymore; they're built to mash anything in the zone that doesn't break, and that's a dangerous trend for someone expected to face top-of-the-order bats every fifth day.
The bigger issue for Boston is what this means for the rotation hierarchy.
If Gray can't stabilize, the idea of him holding down the second spot in their prized rotation becomes very shaky. With arms like Ranger Suarez, Brayan Bello, and Johan Oviedo all having great outings, either in the World Baseball Classic or in Spring Training, and with even younger arms trying to break through like Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, the Red Sox have unlimited alternatives.
Spring Training is supposed to be a time for fine-tuning. For Gray, it's becoming a potential red flag. If these struggles carry into late March, the Red Sox may have no choice but to reconsider.