Twins place righthander Sonny Gray on IL with sore hamstring

BOSTON — Sonny Gray's hamstring was still slightly sore on Sunday, he said, but nothing that should sideline him for very long. Still, he went on the 10-day injured list, a designation that bothers him, he admitted.

"If you can get past the idea of, 'Oh, you're on the 10-day,' which nobody really wants," the move makes sense, Gray said. "In the grand scheme of it, if you're looking at it as, three or four days of just getting pushed back, then it's easier to deal with."

He will deal with strengthening his hamstring, which tightened during the second inning of Saturday's game, and should be throwing in the bullpen by midweek at Kansas City, he said. It's possible he could be back in action on April 27, the day he's eligible to return.

"Sonny is actually doing all right, which was good. He's moving around OK," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "We're just going to play it safe."

The Twins, who have used six starters thus far this year, will simply go to a five-man rotation until Gray returns, Baldelli said.

Reliever Cody Stashak, who opened the season on the IL after experiencing tendinitis in his right arm near the end of training camp, was activated. He faced five hitters Sunday, giving up three singles and two runs.