For Josiah Gray, the other shoe dropped on Monday.
Just days after being optioned to Triple-A to start the season after missing nearly two full campaigns, the right-handed starting pitcher is hitting the 60-day injured list with a right flexor strain. It's another brutal blow for the 28-year-old, who hasn't pitched in the major leagues in nearly two years after requiring Tommy John surgery in 2024 and now will be forced to wait until at least late May to get back into game action at any level.
Gray's initial option to Triple-A was to allow him to continue stretching out as a starting pitcher. He made two appearances in Grapefruit League action, tossing 4.2 innings to solid results with a 21.1 K-BB%. It's been a grueling recovery process for Josiah, who was the team's sole All-Star representative in 2023 and started on Opening Day in 2024 for the Nats before going down. This new wrinkle only complicates his build-up further.
A flexor strain is a tear in the forearm muscles nearest the inner elbow that aid with gripping and throwing overhanded, and it's not uncommon for it to pop up during the rehab process from UCL repair surgery. The severity of the strain is unclear at this stage, and we'll likely get more updates in the coming days; the fact that the team jumped straight to placing him on the 60-day IL is a negative sign, though. If the injury requires surgery, Gray could be staring down a third missed season.
Gray's placement on the 60-day injured list takes him off the team's 40-man roster. The Nationals used that vacancy to select veteran left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez to the roster. After starting his career in Houston, Pérez was once a long-time darling of Baltimore general manager Mike Elias, appearing in over 60 games for the Orioles in three straight seasons from 2022 to 2024. His effectiveness cratered in 2025, with his already tenuous K-BB% dropping from 7.6% to 2.7%, and he was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk in late May where he'd spend the rest of the year.
Now 30 years old, the southpaw got into six games with the Nationals in camp after catching on in mid-February where he displayed significantly improved command. He's guaranteed a $1.9 million salary now that he's made the team, and can earn an additional reported $700k in performance-based incentives. Pérez joins PJ Poulin and Ken Waldichuk as lefties coming out of the Nationals bullpen.
Also hitting the injured list Monday was right-handed relief arm Paxton Schultz, who the team picked up off waivers from Toronto over the offseason. Schultz was generally effective in largely multi-inning assignments, but he'll start his season on the 15-day IL after being diagnosed with right elbow inflammation. One would expect the team will further evaluate his situation during this period. Schultz made three single-inning appearances this spring, striking out 3, walking two, and allowing one run.