4 years agoCincinnati Reds right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray had initially been slated to start Tuesday's Cactus League outing versus the Dodgers, but the team opted to have him throw a side session instead. From Gray himself, there was no injury-related reason for the decision, it appears that he merely just wanted to do further side work to help himself get ready for the start of the year. In the mix for an Opening Day start, Gray, alongside Luis Castillo, will serve as the backbone of the Reds' starting staff in 2021. Having compiled a 3.07 ERA with 10.8 K/9 across 42 starts since joining the Reds prior to the start of 2019, Gray has continued to rank near the tops of the league in both fastball and breaking ball spin rate. Fantasy managers need not panic due to the scratch as there has been no reported setback, as Gray is on track to pitch one of the first two contests come April for Cincinnati.--Jesse Borek
Source: Bobby Nightengale