Gray goes to bullpen; Happ on DL

The Yankees remodeled their rotation Thursday before the series opener against the Red Sox, pitting the teams with the best records in baseball.

Sonny Gray was demoted to the bullpen and will be replaced by newly acquired Lance Lynn. And J.A. Happ went on the disabled list with hand, foot and mouth disease.

General manager Brian Cashman confirmed that Gray had been ousted from the rotation one day after Gray’s latest poor start. The right-hander lasted just 22⁄3 innings and allowed seven runs in a loss to the lowly

Orioles.

Gray (8-8, 5.56) has made it through the third inning in just three of his last six starts.

Lynn, a right-hander acquired at the trade deadline, was 7-8 with a 4.89 ERA in 20 starts with the Twins. Lynn relieved Gray on Wednesday night and worked 41⁄3 shutout innings, striking out five and allowing five hits.

Happ was diagnosed Tuesday with the contagious viral infection, normally found in young children. That was three days after a sterling Yankees debut against the Royals, when he allowed one run on three hits in six innings.

He was scheduled to start Saturday against the Red Sox, but the Yanks knew his scratch would be a possibility and called up righty Luis Cessa, though Lynn also could step in.

With less than two months left in the season, the Yankees trailed the Red Sox by 5 ⁄2 games

1 entering Thursday night’s contest and needed to start picking up ground to avoid the one-game wild-card playoff.

The Yanks have played three fewer games than the Red Sox, meaning their schedule will be more condensed and theoretically more difficult to navigate.