WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The words weren’t coming easily for Josiah Gray on Monday. Given his 23-month layoff following Tommy John surgery, who could blame him?
Gray made his first start of the spring Monday, taking a Major League mound for the first time since April 4, 2024. He allowed one run on two hits over 1 2/3 innings against the Astros, striking out three while hitting the final two batters he faced.
“Words can't really describe how good it felt to just be back out there with the guys and facing big-league hitters – and to do well,” Gray said. “The first step was just getting back out there and then seeing the results and things we can build on.”
Following an eight-pitch leadoff battle with Jose Altuve that ended with a single, Gray struck out Yordan Alvarez. He finished the first inning without allowing a run, but the Alvarez strikeout – and the fact that he touched 94 mph – told Gray a lot.
“He’s as good a hitter as they come, so to see some of the swings I was getting from him told me that my stuff's going to play,” Gray said. “To be able to go out there and get some good hitters out, get some good swing-and-misses and some soft contact, that was the overall goal.”
Gray gave up a one-out double to Cam Smith in the second, then struck out Jake Meyers. Gray struck out Lucas Spence for what would have been the third out, but the ball got away from catcher Keibert Ruiz, allowing Spence to reach on a wild pitch. Gray hit each of the next two Astros to force in a run, ending his day after 39 pitches, 25 of them strikes.
“The velocity was higher than it’s been thus far – and higher than it was in ’24, too; that was definitely a bright spot,” manager Blake Butera said. “That was better than we had hoped for. It was just great to see him out there. He had a big smile on his face; you could tell that he was happy to be back.”
Gray made three Minor League rehab starts last September, throwing a total of 5 2/3 scoreless innings, but Monday marked his first time facing Major League hitters in nearly two years. The 2023 All-Star has made 73 career regular-season starts, yet as he prepared for this Grapefruit League outing, he admitted to being a little nervous.
“It comes naturally with getting into a game, but obviously the two-year layoff puts it in perspective, just how those jitters and how everything kind of feels the day of and the night before,” Gray said. “I felt great going out there and I think I was able to succeed with a lot of what I wanted to do and a lot of what the coaches wanted to see.”
The Nationals have been mindful of his workload this spring, but Butera said Gray has “no restraints,” giving him an opportunity to win a spot in the season-opening rotation.
“You can tell he's still trying to get back to what he was,” Butera said. “He’s trying to compete for a job, but he's also trying to get back into the rhythm of things. It's not easy when you go that long without pitching in a game.”
If the season started today, the rotation would likely include Cade Cavalli, Miles Mikolas, Jake Irvin, Foster Griffin and Brad Lord. Can Gray do enough in the next three-plus weeks to push his way into that group?
“For me, health is number one,” Gray said. “I’m competing for a spot, but I know what I can do when I'm on and what I look like when I look like I did today.”
Gray will take the ball again later this week, giving him another chance to add to his spring resumé. Monday’s outing may have been the final mental hurdle for him to clear in his return, giving him the confidence to move forward without worrying about his arm.
“When you have such a long rehab, it puts everything into perspective,” Gray said. “As much as you try to take it day by day, you look at the overall picture. The mental toll of being back out there and proving it to yourself is really a big thing. I know I can be back out there and I know I can succeed; now we build on that, bottle that up and get ready for the next outing.”