As the Major League Baseball community grapples with an increasing number of arm injuries among pitchers, Washington Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray has become the latest victim. Gray has been sidelined due to a serious elbow injury and placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. Originally slated to start against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, Gray’s spot has been filled by Triple-A Rochester’s Joan Adon.
In his first two starts this season, Gray managed to strike out nine batters in 8 1/3 innings but also allowed 13 runs and 15 hits. Last year, he finished with an impressive 8–13 record, a 3.91 ERA, and 143 strikeouts in 159 innings. Despite being Washington’s only All-Star representative in his second full major league season, Gray allowed an alarming 22 home runs and walked a total of 80 batters. He was once considered a top prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers and played a key role in the trade for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner in 2021. With a solid track record over four seasons with the Nationals, Gray is set for arbitration next year.
Gray is just one of many notable pitchers who have suffered arm injuries this year, including star pitchers Gerrit Cole, Spencer Strider, Framber Valdez, Shane Bieber, Lucas Giolito, and Eury Perez. Some factors that are being considered in this epidemic include players throwing harder than ever before and gripping the ball tighter to improve spin rate. The MLB Players Association has pointed to the pitch clock implemented last season as a contributing factor but Bieber does not believe it is solely responsible for this issue. As the MLB community continues to struggle with this growing problem, it remains to be seen how long it will take for teams to adjust their pitching strategies and prevent further injuries from occurring.
