GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Coming off September elbow surgery, Reds starter Sonny Gray was already feeling great since before camp opened. But Wednesday’s outing against the Mariners was a good test, nonetheless.

Gray pitched two scoreless innings with two hits and three strikeouts during a 5-3 loss at Goodyear Ballpark. The right-hander had bone chips removed from his pitching elbow following his final start of the 2019 season.

“Man, I was excited for today. It was nice,” Gray said. “I was trying to throw my fastball and just rip it the whole time. I checked a lot of boxes. I got my mind right. I was able to compete. It was good. I wished I could have gotten a leadoff hitter out, but other than that, it was good.”

Gray got two called strikeouts, back to back, to end the top of the first inning with a runner stranded. He was able to throw a few curveballs and sliders.

“My slider got hit for a double,” Gray said. “Tucker [Barnhart] said, ‘It’s on the bottom of my list of worries.’ He was funny.”

During his first season with the Reds following his trade from the Yankees, Gray pitched with right elbow stiffness all of 2019. It was an issue that began at the start of Spring Training.

The injury did not affect the results, however. In 31 starts, Gray was 11-8 with a 2.87 ERA, 205 strikeouts and 1.084 WHIP over 175 1/3 innings. Over his final 16 starts, he went 8-3 with a 1.99 ERA.

Gray is scheduled to make his next start on Monday against the Dodgers.

“I’ll bounce back and get ready for that day,” he said. “I’ll start the recovery. Today will be the start of the five-day routine to get ready for the start of the season.”

Jones faces hitters
In his first session of the spring against hitters, Reds non-roster reliever Nate Jones threw 25 pitches of batting practice against Aristides Aquino and Derek Dietrich as they alternated at-bats.

Among the swings, Dietrich hit a home run off the batter’s eye in center field and Aquino cleared the left-field fence by a long margin.

A native of Northern Kentucky, Jones was signed to a Minor League contract and invited to camp. Because he had flexor mass tendon surgery on his right arm in May while with the White Sox, he was being held back from the first week of games.

If Jones can earn a spot in the big league bullpen, he can earn a base salary of $1.5 million with an additional $1 million possible in incentive bonuses.

Injury reports
Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez is continuing to rehab his surgically repaired right shoulder with the hope he could be ready for Opening Day. Reds manager David Bell did not have a target date, however, for Suárez’s first Spring Training game. Suárez was injured last month during a pool accident.

“Geno continues to really work hard,” Bell said. “Everything outside of being able to throw and swing with two hands, the workload on the ground balls and keeping his legs in shape has been outstanding. He continues to think very positively in a way I believe will help him heal really quick. When his arm is ready and shoulder is ready, everything else is going to be in great shape. That’s a real key coming back from an injury.”

• Center fielder Nick Senzel, who is coming back from September surgery on his right shoulder, threw again on Wednesday. But there is no date set for when Senzel will see spring game action.

• Shortstop Freddy Galvis, who has been out with a sore right shoulder, could get into his first game next week.

“It will be real quick after the first off-day [on Tuesday],” Bell said. “He’ll be back playing in games, which will allow plenty of time, especially for a player with experience like he has. He has time.”

Akiyama shows some power
During batting practice sessions earlier this spring, outfielder Shogo Akiyama appeared to be mostly slapping the ball and hitting drives to the opposite field. But in Wednesday’s BP, the lefty-hitting Akiyama showed something different as he hit several long drives and cleared the fence a couple of times. Many of the hits were also pulled to right field.

Before the workout, Bell said that the team’s first Japanese player appeared to be settling in well.

“Everything is new -- pitchers he’s never faced, fields he’s never played on. He’s doing a great job of keeping it all in perspective and slowing it down,” Bell said. “I think his experience and the success he’s had is serving him well. It’s not easy what he's doing. We’re just continuing to help him be comfortable. My conversations are more personal -- where he went to dinner and things like that. He seems to be doing very well.”

Up next
Akiyama will be in the lineup on Thursday at 3:05 p.m. ET, when the Reds play the D-backs in Scottsdale, Ariz. Cincinnati right-hander Trevor Bauer will be on the mound for his first spring start. Listen to the live action on Gameday Audio.