Former Cy Young Winner Heads To Injured List

 

So it turns out there was a reason why the former Cy Young Award winner had a disastrous first start of the season Friday night. The Seattle Mariners have announced that Robbie Ray is headed to the 15-day injured list with a left flexor strain. 

The Mariners have placed Robbie Ray on the 15-day IL with a left flexor strain, per @CoreyBrockMLB.

Left handed reliever Gabe Speier will take his spot on the active roster. pic.twitter.com/gWXvrDgkHr

— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) April 1, 2023

It's likely that the flexor strain had a hand in the southpaw's rocky start in the Mariners' second game of the season; he allowed five runs on five hits and four walks in just 3.1 innings. He labored through 91 pitches in Seattle's 9-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.  

Ray had been dominant during spring training, striking out 26 in 17 innings against just six walks, and allowing only two earned runs for a 1.06 ERA. He'll have to start from scratch whenever he's able to make his return, which is, as yet, undetermined. 

Ray won the Cy Young with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, and the Mariners signed him to a 5-year, $115M free agent contract that offseason. He finished his first year in Seattle with a 3.71 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 189 innings. 

To replace him in the rotation, the M's could move Chris Flexen back into a starter's role, after he began the season in the bullpen, and in fact tossed four solid innings to close out Friday's loss. He's posted a 22-15 mark with a 3.64 ERA in two seasons as a starter in Seattle. 

The M's have called up another lefty, 28-year-old Gabe Speier, to replace Ray on the roster. 

 Photo: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports