Washington Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray, an All-Star in 2023, will undergo elbow surgery next week after being diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, according to Andrew Golden of the Washington Post. It’s unclear at this point if Gray will require Tommy John surgery, an internal brace, or some combination thereof.
Gray, 26, will end his season having made just two appearances at the big-league level earlier this year. He was out on a rehab assignment as recently as late June, but suffered a setback that revealed itself as this injury. Our Mike Axisa explained the internal brace procedure last year in relation to Shohei Ohtani:
A relatively new procedure — an internal brace — is an alternative to Tommy John surgery when the tear is located close to the bone. The internal brace procedure is much less invasive than Tommy John surgery and comes with a shorter rehab, though it still fairly lengthy. To be clear, it is unknown whether Ohtani will have the internal brace or a different procedure.
Originally acquired as part of the Max Scherzer trade at the 2021 deadline, Gray has matured into a quality starter for the Nationals. Last season, he posted a 3.91 ERA (109 ERA+) and a 1.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio while making his first All-Star Game appearance. For Gray’s career, he’s sporting a 4.84 ERA (85 ERA+) in nearly 400 innings.
The Nationals entered Friday with a 44-53 record on the season, putting them 18 1/2 games back in the National League East and six games back in the wild-card race. The Nationals had encountered some turbulence heading into the break, running a 5-9 start to July that included losses in six of their final eight games.
The Nationals will resume their season on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.
