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A's ace Sonny Gray battling severe case of bacterial gastroenteritis
Oakland Athletics ace Sonny Gray was unable to make Tuesday's scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies with what was simply described as illness. On Wednesday, we learned Gray wasn't battling the flu or a common cold, but rather a severe case of bacterial gastroenteritis, which forced him to spend Monday and Tuesday night in the hospital.
The good news, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, is that Gray was improving on Wednesday. Following Oakland's 4-1 win against the Colorado Rockies, she was also among the first to report that Gray was discharged from the hospital. But there's still some question about when he might be able to return to the mound.
Gray was feeling better after IV fluids and antibiotics, however, according to Dr. Allan Pont, the specific bacteria has not yet been identified despite ongoing testing. No other A’s players are sick, so the source is not the Oakland clubhouse, and Gray’s family is fine.
Recovery time is usually a couple of days, but Gray had a high fever and he will have lost some weight, so the A’s haven’t pinpointed a day for him to return to the rotation.
Chris Bassitt made the start for Gray on Tuesday, tossing five innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 loss to Colorado. Bassitt will remain with the A's through the weekend in case he's needed again to make Gray's scheduled start against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
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The illness is not expected to impact Gray's availability for the All-Star game, unless of course it changes his schedule and lines him up for a start on Sunday, July 12. That would make him ineligible to pitch in the All-Star game itself.
Gray is not only expected to make the American League roster, but should be considered a favorite to start. Gray's 2.09 ERA ranks second in the AL to Houston's Dallas Keuchel, who at this point might be his stiffest competition.
As great as that honor would be, the concern for the A's and their fans will be getting Gray back to one-hundred percent. The next 48 hours or so in his recovery will be telling in terms of how soon that will be realistic. One can safely bet though that Gray will be pushing to take his regular turn on Sunday.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
