Gray, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a right mid-back strain, said he's hopeful he'll be ready to rejoin the Cincinnati rotation during the final week of the regular season, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Whether or not Gray returns may ultimately hinge on if the Reds have a legitimate chance at claiming a playoff spot; entering play Monday, Cincinnati sits two games behind in the wild-card race and 2.5 games behind St. Louis for second place in the National League Central. Gray is first eligible to return from the IL on Sept. 21, but before a determination on his availability for the final week of the season is made, he'll likely need to resume throwing without discomfort. Prior to being shut down, Gray had struggled through his two roughest starts of the season, giving up a combined 11 runs in four innings in losses to the Cardinals and Cubs.