Josiah Gray has torn UCL, to miss rest of season

WASHINGTON -- Right-hander Josiah Gray will undergo season-ending elbow surgery to address a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on Wednesday.

Following a visit with Dr. Keith Meister during the All-Star break, Gray will have the procedure performed by the orthopedic surgeon in Arlington. The extent of the injury will be determined then.

“If the ligament is not as damaged as the MRI imaging shows, we can hold out hope for the internal brace procedure,” Gray, 26, said on Friday afternoon. “If the ligament is damaged, we can obviously opt for Tommy John. Obviously, the hybrid’s in place, which is merging of the two, as well. So truly, it’s just a wait and see.”

The Nationals bounced back from the disappointing news about their Opening Day starter by defeating the Reds, 8-5, on Friday night at Nationals Park. Catcher Keibert Ruiz, Gray’s teammate since the Minor Leagues, hit a Statcast-projected 405-foot home run. Juan Yepez belted his first home run of the season and extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

“I was really sad,” Ruiz said of the news about Gray. “I miss him a lot, catching him. He’s a great guy. He’s competitive. I hope he has a fast recovery and comes back healthy and strong.”

Gray was placed on the injured list on April 9 (retroactive to April 6) because of a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. He made five rehab starts, progressing to Triple-A, but he was shut down after allowing seven runs in three innings with Rochester on June 30.

“That was probably the toughest thing for me to kind of wrap my head around, because I felt like I was oh so close to getting back here in this clubhouse and contributing to wins,” Gray said. “... You can kind of like taste it. But unfortunately, there were other plans behind the scenes, and unfortunately, I hit the hardest setback of all.”

Coming off earning his first All-Star selection in 2023, Gray was limited to just 8 1/3 innings in ‘24. He was 0-2 with a 14.04 ERA in two starts.

“It was tough,” manager Dave Martinez said of the news. “He was emotional, I got emotional. As you know, I love the kid -- just like I do all the other ones we’ve got. But he’s kind of special because he cares a lot about this organization, this team, and [he] wanted to be out there competing and helping us win.”

Since being acquired from the Dodgers at the 2021 Trade Deadline in the Max Scherzer-Trea Turner megadeal, Gray has been a dependable arm for the Nats. He made a total of 58 starts and pitched 307 2/3 innings over the past two seasons combined.

“There are bumps in the road,” said general manager Mike Rizzo. “We’ve been here before, we know how to handle it. We’ve done Tommy Johns, we’ve done rehabs, and unfortunately we’re really good at it because we’ve done a lot of them. He’s a diligent worker, he’s a plus-makeup guy, he’s going to get through this. At this time next year, he’s going to be a great Trade Deadline deal for us to bring him back. That’s the way I look at it.”

To prepare for the process, Gray has reached out to teammates including Cade Cavalli, Jake Irvin and Tanner Rainey, who have undergone Tommy John. Gray also spoke with pitching strategist Sean Doolittle, who opted for the internal brace procedure in July 2022.

Gray hopes to return to the team following the surgery to stay involved with the club as a key member of its young, developing future.

“For me, being around the game, being around this team, I want to be connected to these guys,” Gray said. “Obviously, I can’t go out there and suit up and get strikeouts, but I’ll hopefully be an encourager as much as possible. I’m just grateful for that and grateful to be here.”