NEW YORK — Pitcher Sonny Gray was traded to the Yankees from the Oakland Athletics for three prospects on Monday, boosting New York’s starting rotation for an unexpected playoff run.
Oakland received Jorge Mateo, a top shortstop-outfielder prospect at Double-A; right-hander James Kaprielian, the 16th overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft who is recovering from Tommy John surgery on April 18; and Dustin Fowler, an outfielder who ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee in the first inning of his major league debut on June 29, ending his season. New York also receives $1.5 million in international signing bonus allocation from the A’s.
The was announced less than an hour before the 4 p.m. deadline for making deals without waivers.
Gray slots into the middle of a rotation for the AL East leaders that includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Jaime Garcia, who was acquired Sunday from Minnesota.
A 27-year-old right-hander who has been slowed by a series of injuries, Gray is 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA in 16 starts this season and is 4-2 with a 1.37 ERA in his last six starts. He makes $3,575,000 and is not eligible for free agency until after the 2019 season.
He missed his scheduled opening day starts each of the past two seasons, with food poisoning last year and because of a lat strain that caused a disabled list trip at the start of this season. He was 5-11 last year following consecutive 14-win seasons.
Gray worked with a personal trainer for the first time this past offseason and appreciated the guidance through his regular arm care and maintenance routine.
He first spent a stint on the disabled list from May 21 to June 4 with a strain in his upper back last year, then went back on the DL again with a strained right forearm. After getting hurt Aug. 6, the 27-year-old Gray didn’t pitch again until one inning of relief Sept. 28 at the Los Angeles Angels.
Gray had been scheduled to start for the A’s on Monday night against San Francisco. As the trade deadline approached, the Athletics pushed back his start a couple days.
