The Oakland Athletics got some good news regarding ace starter Sonny Gray. After being sidelined two weeks ago with a lat strain, Gray has been cleared to resume his throwing program. 

It comes more than a week before Gray was set to return, and could have him back on the bump by mid April. That's a much better timeline than his original diagnosis, which was late April. 

Gray, 27, is coming off a disastrous and injury-plagued 2016 campaign that saw him post a 5-11 record with a 5.69 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 22 starts. That came on the heels of an All-Star 2015 season in which Gray pitched to a 14-7 mark with a 2.73/1.08 split. 

Gray remains a high-upside late-round option. Should he return to the mount without suffering any setbacks, that will be a good  sign for his return to fantasy relevance.