Yankees: How long will Sonny Gray stay in the bullpen?

After cameras caught Sonny Gray smirking while exiting from his latest poor start, he’s likely pitched his way out of the Yankees starting rotation for a while. It will be hard for Boone to trust the ball in Gray’s hands as the Yankees try to stay atop the Wild Card standings.

Some players just don’t pan out when they got to New York and play for the Yankees. See Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, and Jacoby Ellsbury. Currently, Sonny Gray is heading down that path.

After last week’s abysmal 2+ innings and 7 earned runs performance against the MLB-worst Baltimore Orioles, Gray was caught laughing while walking off the mound as he was mercilessly booed by the Yankee faithful. He was later replaced in the rotation by Lance Lynn. Gray has likely pitched his way out of pinstripes’ rotation for the remainder of the season.

Gray has not just been bad pitching at Yankee Stadium this year, rather he’s been awful. At home, he sports a 7.71 ERA, a 4-4 record, while opponents are hitting .313 against him. He’s given up nearly one run per inning and allowed 10 home runs. He’s also walked 30 batters in just 49 innings. What’s worse is he has a 20.25 ERA against the division rival Boston Red Sox. In two starts, Gray has given up 12 earned runs in just five innings with the Red Sox batting .467 against him.

More from Yankees News

• Yankees chose worst possible player to ring in New Year on 2023 team calendar
• Yankees make upside play, sign former Rangers top prospect outfielder
• Michael Kay’s Anthony Volpe story will get Yankees fans amped for Opening Day
• No, Yankees should not acquire Trevor Bauer for 2023
• Yankees’ Marwin González replaces Red Sox LF in Japan in logical next step

On the upside, Gray has been much better on the road where he’s 5-4 with a 3.43 ERA with only three homers allowed and an opponent’s batting average of.230. He has more strikeouts (64) than innings pitched (57.2).

The Yankees need him to pitch well if they want to advance in the playoffs but rookie manager Aaron Boone can’t keep running out an ineffective player. So Boone might be forced to only pitch Gray on the road to build back his confidence.

Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and CC Sabathia have been the Yankees’ most consistent starters. Lynn and the deadline trade acquisition of J.A. Happ provide some stability to the end of the rotation. Gray has likely moved into the role of a long reliever.

It is a disappointing fall for an individual considered to be a front-of-the-line starter but as the Yankees relied on Gray more throughout the year, he simply did not deliver. That’s part of the reason why GM Brian Cashman was forced to acquire Happ and Lynn.

Even though it was against the lowly Chicago White Sox, Tuesday’s win will certainly help Gray. With the Yankees running low on relievers and the game already tied in the 11^th inning, Gray was summoned for relief. He pitched three innings of 1-hit ball with only one walk and four strikeouts to help the Yankees win in 13 innings.

This is a good sign for Gray and if he can string together a couple more solid relief outings, it will help as the Yankees fight to stay atop the Wild Card standings.