What It Means:

Mozeliak admitted that it will be "challenging" for Gray to be ready for his scheduled Opening Day start. Zack Thompson or Matthew Liberatore will now likely get the starting nod for the Cardinals on March 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 34-year-old righty was the runner up for the AL Cy Young Award last year after turning in a 2.69 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.

numberFire's models project Gray to record a 3.79 ERA and 1.26 WHIP this season, with a 22.5 percent strikeout rate. He went 8-8 across 32 starts last season and averaged 32.7 FanDuel points per game.