After more than two years away, Washington Nationals pitcher Josiah Gray made his long-awaited return to the big league mound on Sept. 18 when he pitched against the St. Louis Cardinals .
Now being used as a reliever after he came up the ranks as a starter and earned the Opening Day nod for the 2024 season, the right-hander threw a scoreless inning this past Friday where he gave up just one hit on eight pitches. While he didn't strike anyone out, he didn't walk anyone, either. And after such a long time away , that bodes well for how he can adjust to this new phase of his career.
However, Gray isn't just happy to be back pitching in the majors. Following his return, he is eyeing some lofty goals for himself, and that includes becoming a top-end arm.
Washington Nationals pitcher Josiah Gray | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
"Just how can we get back to domination?" Gray said, per Zach Sweet of MLB.com . "Not just being in the big leagues, but dominating in the big leagues."
It's not surprising to hear that's Gray's mentality. After all, the 28-year-old was the No. 72 overall pick back in 2018. He peaked at No. 2 overall in the Los Angeles Dodgers ' farm system and No. 57 in the sport in 2021 before he was dealt to Washington as a headliner of the Trea Turner and Max Scherzer return package. He then flashed his talent during the 2023 season before an injury put his career on the lengthy hiatus he just returned from.
So, as he tries to carve out a role for himself within a franchise that has changed a ton since the last time he pitched for them, it's not shocking to hear that Gray has his sights set on becoming the high-end pitcher he was expected to be.
Washington will certainly try to help him get there . They have a clear need in their bullpen, and the hope is that Gray could solve some of those issues. While he only pitched that one frame during his return outing against the Cardinals, it's not clear what his role is going to be going forward, as he could be lengthened out to a multi-inning reliever in preparation for next season.
In the meantime, Gray is going to compete whenever he gets called out of the bullpen. That's what he tried to do on Sept. 15, and he'll likely approach things in the same way the next time he steps on the mound. Then, it's all about getting ready for next year, where hopefully, he can achieve his goal of becoming dominant.
"I think we'll have a small snippet of that right now. But after the season's over, it's just building on that," he said.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Nationals Pitcher Josiah Gray Has Lofty Plans for Himself, And It Involves 'Dominating' .
