Red Sox, old friend Sonny Gray stand in Reds way Saturday

CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 01: Sonny Gray #54 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during game two of a doubleheader at Great American Ball Park on September 01, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images It was January of 2019 when the Cincinnati Reds sent prospect Shed Long and a Competitive Balance pick to the New York Yankees to acquire right-hander Sonny Gray, the former Oakland A’s ace and 2015 All Star.

He had struggled mightily since landing in the Bronx, yet Cincinnati pitching guru Derek Johnson – who had coached Gray in college at Vanderbilt – thought there was still a whole lot more left in Gray’s tank. The move turned out to be prescient, and Gray immediately regained his form with the Reds. He put together 175.

1 IP of 6. 2 bWAR ball in 2019, earned another All Star appearance, and finished 7th in NL Cy Young Award voting, and he was a key cog in the rotation of the abbreviated 2020 club that actually made their own brief apperance in the playoffs. Cincinnati, ever cost-conscious and always eyeing their next rebuilding opportunity, shipped Gray off to Minnesota after the 2021 season, landing prospect Chase Petty in the process.

Since then, Gray has plied his trade with both the Twins and St. Louis Cardinals, who this past winter shipped Gray over to Boston. On Saturday afternoon, Gray will toe the rubber for the Red Sox in Great American Ball Park, and he’ll face off against the Reds for just the sixth time in his 14-year career.