Red Sox's Sonny Gray: Likely to play catch Friday

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that the MRI on Gray's right hamstring did not reveal anything worse than expected, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Analysis:

Gray is nursing a strain, but Cora's words Thursday suggest the strain is the Grade 1 variety. The skipper added that Gray will likely play catch Friday as he slowly ramps things back up after landing on the shelf earlier this week. Gray is eligible for activation from the 15-day injured list May 6, and he has a chance to be ready on that date or shortly after.