Yankees can’t protect Sonny Gray until he proves worthy

It’s been a rough week for Yankees starter Sonny Gray. First, his Twitter account was hacked and then he went out and suffered his third consecutive loss, this time in Toronto where he’s traditionally been reliable.

Tying for the second-shortest start of his career, Sonny Gray lasted only 2.1 innings, allowing five runs, six hits and two walks as the Yankees fell to the Blue Jays 6-2 on Friday night.

Gray, whose 5.85 ERA is the third-worst in baseball for a starter with at least 80 innings pitched has also allowed at least four earned runs in three consecutive starts.

Despite his 5-7 record and career-worst 1.57 WHIP and abysmal .284 BAA, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has no plans to replace Gray in the rotation, at least not for the upcoming series versus the Orioles, as he told ESPN.

"“Part of it is right now we feel like he’s our best option,” Boone said. “I think he can right the ship in the rotation.’’More from Yankees NewsYankees analyst Cameron Maybin projects surprise landing spot for Gary SánchezYankees swipe intriguing minor-league FA lefty flamethrower from BravesWhat does Carlos Rodón’s new jersey number mean for Domingo Germán?Red Sox living in different financial ‘galaxy’ than Yankees Killer Rafael DeversYankees slice surprising fan favorite off roster to make room for Tommy Kahnle"

That’s definitely a problem, considering Gray has been given a ton of slack in his last three outings, culminating in a 0-3 record and 12.27 ERA.

Now two games behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East, the pressure on general manager Brian Cashman to acquire a go-to starting pitcher is beginning to mount.

Perhaps facing off against rumored acquisition J.A. Happ on Saturday afternoon will be all the ammunition Cashman needs to pull the trigger on a deal prior the All-Star break.

We all want (need) Gray to succeed, but letting him flail on the mound every five days isn’t doing anyone any good, especially at Rogers Centre where he used to have a career ERA of 1.88.

There’s been a lot of speculation about why Gray has scuffled in New York; ie. inability to pitch to Gary Sanchez, intimidation of performing at home. But nothing of note has helped.

If Larry Rothschild, who has often done a lot with very little during his tenure in pinstripes, can’t get through to Gray, and there are no physical maladies with the diminutive right-hander, then perhaps it is all mental with Sonny.

He wouldn’t be the first big-time pitcher the Yanks acquired, only to watch them wade in failure; Carl Pavano, Jeff Weaver, Javier Vazquez, Kei Igawa quickly come to mind — and those are just some of the more recent names.

While I still contend that trading for Gray last July 31 was worth the gamble, less than one year later it hasn’t paid off anywhere near the way the club, the fans or Sonny himself would have hoped.

Luckily, Masahiro Tanaka is scheduled to make his return from the DL on Tuesday, C.C. Sabathia is adding another epic chapter to his Hall of Fame career, and Luis Severino is again a Cy Young Candidate. After that, it get’s murky.

At times, Domingo German has looked like a future ace, Jonathan Loaisiga showed promise before his recent demotion and No. 2 prospect Justus Sheffield is on a tear at Triple-A Scranton – he’ll even pitch in the Future’s Game during All-Star Weekend.

Next: A Moose at first base in the Bronx?

However, the Yanks need at least one more starter right now, if they wish to have a legitimate shot at winning the division, two playoff rounds and of course, the World Series. As of today, Gray can’t be counted on to help secure any one of these lofty goals.

Only time will tell what happens to Sonny, and whether or not he stays in the Yankees rotation, is moved to the bullpen or is traded for a mid-level minor leaguer.

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