Giants Injured Cy Young Winner Shines in First Triple-A Rehab Game

The recovery of pitcher Robbie Ray from Tommy John surgery continued as he made the move to Triple-A on Sunday.

Oct 11, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Robbie Ray (38) pitches against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning in game one of the ALDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The plan was for injured San Francisco Giants starter Robbie Ray to go three innings on Sunday for Triple-A Sacramento.

He didn’t go three innings, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t pitch well.

The 32-year-old left-hander threw 2.1 shutout innings for the River Cats, coming on in relief in the same game where another Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, started for Sacramento.

Even though Snell last pitched in the Majors last month and Ray did last year, the latter was more effective.

Ray came on in the fourth inning and gave up a double to Round Rock’s Jose Barrero. As it turned out that was the only hit he allowed.

He retired the next three hitters, including a strikeout of Jonathan Ornelas, to get out of the inning.

In the fifth he retired the first two hitters, including a strikeout of Sam Huff. After walking Derek Hill, he induced a groundout to finish off that inning.

He started the six and after getting Trevor Hauver to line out, he was taken out of the game and Evan Gates came on in relief.

Ray struck out two and walked one. He threw 45 pitches, 30 which were for strikes.

Ray previously threw in four rehab games with the Giants’ Arizona Complex League rookie team, where he never went farther than 2.1 innings. He threw seven innings, gave up four earned runs — three in one outing — while he struck out 15 and walked none.

This was a significant jump for Ray, as he skipped Class-A, High A and Double-A to join the River Cats. He’s spent more than a year recovering from Tommy John surgery for the torn flexor tendon in his left elbow, which he suffered early last season with the Seattle Mariners.

The Giants traded Mitch Haniger, Anthony DeSclafani and cash considerations to the Mariners to acquire Ray, knowing that he would not be ready until the second half of the season. He appears to still be on track to help the Giants after the All-Star break.

San Francisco hopes that it will get something resembling the pitcher he was in 2021 with Toronto Blue Jays, when he went 13-7 with an American League-leading 2.84 ERA in 32 starts. He struck out an MLB-high 248 and walked 52 in 193.1 innings as he won the AL Cy Young award.

He followed that with a 12-12 2022 with Seattle, who signed him to a five-year, $115 million deal in free agency. The Giants inherited that deal, but it comes with an opt-out after this season.

Ray was a 12th round pick of the Washington Nationals in 2010 and broke in with the Detroit Tigers in 2014. In 10 MLB seasons, including a stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he is 74-71 with a 3.96 ERA.