The Washington Nationals got some tough news on starting pitcher Josiah Gray, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
“Now, Washington Nationals young prized starter Josiah Gray goes on the 15-day injured list with a forearm flexor strain.”
It hasn't been a good start to the season for Gray. He has been lit up for 13 runs over 8.1 innings in his first two starts and now will miss, at bare minimum, the next couple weeks with the injury to his pitching arm.
Gray had been slated to start for the Nationals on Tuesday in San Francisco, but that responsibility now falls to Joan Adon.
While the Nationals start is on the 15-day IL, his recovery could take longer. According to Baseball Prospectus' recovery database, pitchers who experience a flexor strain miss 66 days on average. Every player's injury and recovery process is unique, so it's not quite an apple-to-apple comparison.
Likewise, while flexor strains can serve as a precursor to Tommy John surgery, that may end up not actually being the case here.
The Nationals just the latest team to deal with pitching injury
Nationals pitcher Josiah Gray is just the latest in a rash of arm injuries to high-profile pitchers over the last week.
First, the Guardians have been dealt some crushing news, as Shane Bieber picked up an elbow injury his latest start, and it was revealed that he will need to undergo Tommy John surgery, cutting his season short after those two sterling starts.
After winning the 2020 Cy Young Award, Bieber didn't have the greatest 2023 campaign by his lofty standards (6-6, 3.80 ERA, 107 K, 1.23 WHIP), but he looked wholly capable of putting together a Cy Young campaign over his first two outings of the year. Bieber coasted through six innings without giving up a run in each of his starts, striking out 11 Oakland Athletics and nine Seattle Mariners on the way to earning the win in both outings.
Then, after a stellar first game, Strider was entrusted with the home opener for the Atlanta Braves. After giving up five runs, Strider was suddenly pulled out of the game.
Initial reports pegged Spencer Strider's injury to be something related to his elbow. That's almost always a bad sign for any pitcher. Mark Bowman and Justin Toscano confirmed that Strider was complaining about said elbow. The Braves' ace underwent an MRI on Saturday and it was revealed that he has damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.
Atlanta announced that Strider will have another doctor take a look at his elbow before making a decision on him.
Whether the recent changes to the pitch clock or the fact that pitchers are throwing harder than ever while maximizing spin rate are to blame, there's no denying that the amount of pitcher injuries in MLB so far this season is troubling.
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