Notes: Gray shut down; Antone exits early

Injuries have piled up for the Reds lately with Sunday’s news hurting the club at the top of its rotation. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray has been shut down from throwing because of mid-back spasms, which likely means he will begin the regular season on the injured list.

The injury, Gray estimated, would put him about a week behind the others in terms of being ready for the season because he will still be building up his innings.

“I think we just kind of made a decision and it’s still lingering just enough when you really kind of crank on it, crank on pitching, to say, 'Hey, let’s take a step back. Let’s try to knock everything out now, so it doesn’t become a larger issue down the road,’” Gray said. “I didn’t throw today. I won’t throw tomorrow. I think the plan is to try to pick up a ball again on Wednesday or Thursday and play catch.”

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Gray, 31, underwent an MRI exam Saturday evening and his scheduled turn to pitch in a ‘B’ game Sunday was scratched.

The lone Cactus League game that Gray pitched in was a two-inning start vs. the Royals on March 4. He was scratched from the following start to work on his pitches, having thrown in the bullpen as recently as two days ago.

“My back just keeps spasming. It just keeps spasming when I rotate and when I throw,” Gray said. “Going through pitching and throwing is all fine. When I get on the mound and I really crank on it, it just kind of spasms up a little.”

Last season’s Opening Day starter for Cincinnati, Gray was 16-11 with a 3.07 ERA over 42 combined starts during 2019-20. A mid-back strain put him on the 10-day IL from Sept. 13-21, 2020.

“It’s nothing that anyone I think is overly concerned about,” Gray said. “You go back and forth and it’s one of those things. I feel OK. Do I keep going? Do I keep throwing? It’s just the way it kind of breaks down and the way we’ve all kind of thought about it was, 'Do we take five or six days right now and completely try to knock it out so you’re a week behind to start the season or eight days or whatever it ends up being? Or do you just keep going and maybe it turns into a larger issue and then maybe you miss 10 starts? Maybe you miss 12 starts? Maybe you miss 15 starts?' Maybe you miss zero, I don’t know.”

Another starting pitcher, Wade Miley, exited his outing Thursday with a left hamstring injury. Outfielder Shogo Akiyama did likewise during Saturday’s game and first baseman Joey Votto has been out all week because he tested positive for COVID-19.

If Gray and Miley aren’t ready for the season, that would enable three of the four pitchers competing for rotation spots -- Michael Lorenzen, Tejay Antone, Jeff Hoffman and José De León -- to land one.

Antone leaves with groin injury

During Sunday’s 10-4 loss to the Padres, Antone had an injury scare while warming up for the top of the fourth inning. After a couple of practice pitches, he left the game with a mild right groin strain.

“Felt like [a] little tweak. I was just going to stretch it and continue, but [Mike] Moustakas saw me stretch it and said, ‘Don’t push it.’ I was like, 'You’re probably right, I probably shouldn't push anything right now,’” explained Antone, who gave up four runs (one earned) and three hits over 2 2/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts. “I told the trainer I think I’ll be able to make my next start.”

Antone entered Sunday with five scoreless innings in his previous two games, but he had a mixed afternoon before the injury. He gave up two hits and a run in the top of the first. There were three walks during the two-run top of the second before Antone was pulled for a reliever.

“His stuff is so good. If anything, maybe he tried to do too much,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Maybe he was trying to improve on his last couple of times. That’s pretty hard to do.”

Under the spring rules, Antone returned for the third and he retired the side in order. He credited pitching coach Derek Johnson with an adjustment.

“I was a little jerky today. I think I was just trying to force something,” Antone said. “DJ saw it after the second inning and brought it to my attention. I wish I had recognized it sooner because my third inning was very smooth, I felt like my body was working great.”

Hoffman has mixed outing

During Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the A’s, Hoffman gave up three earned runs and two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Hoffman had to wiggle out of the first inning after a Ramón Laureano walk and RBI double by Seth Brown. Laureano walked again in the third inning and Chad Pinder made Hoffman pay with a two-run homer with two outs.

“I felt OK. I think there were definitely some things that could have been a little bit better,” Hoffman said. “Didn’t really have my best fastball, but it was close. I think all in all, there was some good and some bad. I think for the most part, I’d like to land a few more breaking balls throughout the course of the three innings, four innings, whatever it was supposed to be.”

In eight innings over three games -- including two starts -- Hoffman has a 5.63 ERA.

Reds claim Fulmer

The Reds claimed right-handed pitcher Carson Fulmer off of waivers from the Pirates on Sunday. Fulmer, who had been designated for assignment, had a 4.50 ERA in three spring games for Pittsburgh.

A 27-year-old former first-round pick in 2015 by the White Sox, Fulmer has a 6.34 ERA over 54 big league games for Chicago, Detroit and Baltimore. He pitched in college for Vanderbilt from '13-15, just after Johnson left the school to coach professionally.