WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Josiah Gray knows exactly where he currently stands in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

“I’m about six months and three weeks in,” he said. “It’ll be seven months on the 24th.”

Forgive the Nationals right-hander for being able to recite such specific mileposts off the top of his head. It’s just the way it is for any rehabbing pitcher. It’s about the only way to stay sane throughout this long, arduous process.

Since he went under the knife July 24 to have his torn elbow ligament replaced and have an internal brace implanted in the elbow to further stabilize everything, Gray has known when he’ll be allowed to do what.

For six months, all he could do was exercise and physical therapy. Nothing with a baseball allowed. Then on Jan. 27, he finally got to cross a major item off the rehab list when he played catch for the first time since surgery.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The 30 pitchers in big league camp for the Nationals bounce around from practice field to practice field, working on various fundamental drills, all of them participating, all of them encouraging each other.

But when it comes time to throw off the bullpen mounds, two of those 30 pitchers are forced to stand off to the side and watch.

Josiah Gray and Mason Thompson are the only two pitchers in camp not yet cleared to throw off the mound. Each is recovering from Tommy John surgery, the latter much closer to returning than the former.

Gray, who had his elbow ligament replaced in July, only began playing catch four weeks ago. He’s restricted to simple throws on flat ground every other day for now. He won’t be allowed to throw off a mound for some time. But the 27-year-old right-hander, an All-Star in 2023 and the Nats’ Opening Day starter in 2024, is upbeat and excited to be able to participate in any way after six months of no baseball activities at all.

“The thing about it, he gets it,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And what I love about JoJo is that he’s not just here for him. He’s here for everybody else. So he’s engaged (with) his teammates. He’s watching bullpens. And I love that about him. He wants to see his teammates do well. He knows what’s ahead of him. And he wants to get ready to help us down the road. And that’s what he’s shooting for.”

In an alternate universe, Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli would be very much in the Nationals’ Opening Day plans right now, the two right-handers probably joining MacKenzie Gore to fill out the top three slots in the club’s 2025 rotation.

That’s how things were supposed to go. Gray was the team’s Opening Day starter last year after earning an All-Star selection the prior year. Cavalli was on track to make his long-awaited return from March 2023 Tommy John surgery sometime around June 2024 and finally realize his full potential.

In the real universe we all occupy, neither figures to be on the 26-man roster come March 27. Gray, we already know, will miss most of the season while recovering from his Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure. Cavalli, though reportedly healthy now, still needs to prove he can pitch every five days and have some success in the minors before the Nationals are likely to include him in their big league rotation.

It's clear the organization has prepared to proceed without either. They’ve signed three free agent starters this winter in Michael Soroka, Trevor Williams and Shinnosuke Osagawara, and while none of them is viewed as a frontline starter, all are healthy and are supposed to be part of the staff entering the new season. They also have Gore and Jake Irvin as holdovers, plus young left-handers DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker trying to hold onto the rotation spots they held for much of last season.

So what does that mean for Gray and Cavalli, both in the short- and long-term?

Halloween has come and gone. The leaves have changed colors and are beginning to fall to the ground. Daylight Saving Time is finished for the year, leaving us with the oh-so-depressing 5 p.m. sunset for the next few months.

And the 2024 Major League Baseball season has ended. The Dodgers wrapped up the World Series five nights ago, which means the offseason officially begins today. Free agents are free to negotiate with all 30 clubs. Contract options must be picked up or declined. Rosters must be set. And teams can begin making changes they hope will lead to better results in 2025.

This offseason has long loomed as the Nationals’ most consequential one in several years. There’s nothing really left to tear down from the old roster. Many of the key young players acquired in the rebuild are now big leaguers, with more to come soon. It feels like it’s time for these guys to start adding real free agents to the young core at last.

While technically permitted beginning today, those kind of major acquisitions aren’t expected to occur until later this winter. You never really know how the offseason market is going to play out, but recent history suggests there will be little movement of consequence until at least early December at the Winter Meetings, and quite possibly not until after New Year’s.

But there will be some news nonetheless this month. Here’s a Nats primer for November to help get you into Hot Stove mode. …

Josiah Gray was the Nationals’ Opening Day starter this season, and on the heels of an All-Star selection the previous year, the right-hander looked like a critical part of the club’s pitching plan in both the short and long term.

Cade Cavalli was the Nationals’ top pitching prospect since the day they used their 2020 first round pick on the right-hander, and though his career hit a roadblock following Tommy John surgery in March 2023, everyone expected him to return to the big leagues sometime this summer and re-establish himself as a key part of the team’s rotation.

Neither Gray nor Cavalli, of course, was part of the Nats’ active pitching staff at season’s end. They combined to make all of two major league starts this year, both by Gray before he suffered an elbow injury in early April.

Which begs the question: Do either of these guys still fit into the team’s plans, either in the short or long term?

The easy answer is yes. The Nationals absolutely believe both will be significant contributors for them, with Cavalli ideally pitching a lot for them in 2025 and Gray ideally returning from his Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure in time to make a handful of September starts.

Josiah Gray may not have made much impact on the field this year, but his continued impact off the field earned the Nationals right-hander another cherished honor.

Gray on Monday was named the Nats’ nominee for the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award, given out annually by Major League Baseball to the player who “best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

It’s the second straight year Gray has been nominated for the Clemente Award, the winner of which will be unveiled during the World Series. The league’s annual Roberto Clemente Day will be held Sept. 15, at which time the right-hander will be honored at Nationals Park prior to the team’s series finale against the Marlins.

After making his first All-Star team in 2023, Gray looked poised to take another bit step forward in his career when he was selected by manager Davey Martinez as the team’s Opening Day starter this spring. Gray, though, wound up making only two starts before reporting elbow pain. Sidelined for three months as he attempted to rehab through the injury and rejoin the rotation, he ultimately learned he had torn the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and underwent both Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure July 24 in Dallas. He’s expected to miss the majority of the 2025 season.

The 26-year-old has remained with the club during the early stages of his rehab, and he remains active in his off-field pursuits. As player ambassador to the Nationals’ Youth Academy, he is a regular visitor to the Southeast D.C. facility and has established charitable endeavors to help fund its programs.

Josiah Gray stood in the clubhouse at Nationals Park, his right arm protected by a complex brace, only 10 days removed from major elbow surgery, and had no trouble smiling wide.

“I love seeing everybody,” he said. “I love still being a part of this, still being part of the team and rooting for our guys. Just seeing everybody’s face yesterday was settling.”

In these early days of recovery, there isn’t much for Gray to do from a rehab standpoint. He takes part in about one hour of physical therapy a day, but that’s all for now. It’ll be months before he’s allowed to throw a baseball again. It’ll be at least a year before he’s pitching in a big league game again, maybe longer.

Gray isn’t the first to have Tommy John surgery, nor will he be the last. He’s already consulted with a number of friends in the game who have been through this before – notably Cade Cavalli, Jake Irvin and Joe Ross – and learned some valuable lessons about the proper mental approach to his recovery.

“This is a long process, but also you can learn a lot about yourself in this process,” he said. “You can come out of it a better athlete, a better pitcher, a better person. … I’m looking forward to seeing where I’m at this time next year.”

Josiah Gray underwent Tommy John surgery, plus an additional procedure to further stabilize his right elbow, officially ending his 2024 season and guaranteeing the Nationals’ Opening Day starter will miss the majority of the 2025 season as well.

Gray, who learned last week he had a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, flew to Dallas to be operated on today by orthopedist Keith Meister, who left open the possibility of performing only the less invasive internal brace procedure.

In the end, Meister determined the tear to be significant enough to warrant the full ligament replacement surgery named for the famed left-hander whose career was saved by the then-experimental procedure in the 1970s, plus the internal brace procedure, which reinforces the new elbow ligament.

Typical recovery time for Tommy John surgery is 12-to-18 months, so even in a best-case scenario, Gray would only be ready to return late in the 2025 season.

“He’s going to miss time, as we all know,” said manager Davey Martinez after announcing the news following tonight’s 12-3 loss to the Padres. “But he’s doing well. He feels good about it. … He’s got a long road, he knows that. But knowing him, he’s going to work really hard to get back.”

The Nationals used the days before and after the All-Star break to carry an extra reliever. Turns out they only used him once before sending him back to the minors.

Eduardo Salazar, who impressed in his July 14 outing against the Brewers, was optioned to Triple-A Rochester this afternoon, a move necessitated by the return of DJ Herz, who starts tonight’s series opener against the Padres.

Salazar, who posted eye-popping numbers in nine games with Rochester after the Nationals claimed him off waivers from the Mariners last month, was called up for the final two days before the All-Star break when the club could afford to carry a ninth reliever. He pitched two innings in the first half finale in Milwaukee, striking out four batters with a sharp-breaking slider, though he also issued two walks in that game.

The Nats kept the nine-man bullpen for last weekend’s series but never summoned Salazar while sweeping the Reds. So the 26-year-old now heads back to Triple-A, where he’ll hope to make an impression again and earn his way back to the majors.

“I think we will see more eventually,” manager Davey Martinez said. “The thing about it that’s tough is, one, he’s got options. Two, he’s a depth piece for us. But he threw the ball really well. So I’m sure we’ll see more of Salazar.”

The Nationals returned from the All-Star break in high spirits. Everyone seemed to enjoy the much-needed week off after a brutal stretch to end the first half of the season.

But the vibes in the clubhouse took a turn when the team received some unfortunate, though not totally unexpected, news: Josiah Gray has a partial tear of his right UCL and will require elbow surgery, ending his season and delaying his start to next year.

The right-hander experienced elbow discomfort during his last rehab start on June 30 with Triple-A Rochester, so the Nationals shut him down and scheduled an MRI and a consultation with specialist Keith Meister during the All-Star break.

The results were what they feared the most.

“It got looked at by Dr. Meister over the All-Star break and we found a little partial tear in UCL. So we're gonna opt for elbow surgery here,” Gray said in front of his locker in the Nats clubhouse before the second-half opener against the Reds. “It's gonna, obviously, end the year for me. I got a long road ahead, but that was kind of what the doctor saw and we got that opinion from him and we're kind of going to hit the ground running.”

The All-Star break offers a time for reflection, a chance to hit the pause button and consider everything that’s happened over the last 3 1/2 months. It’s a lot easier to think about the big picture when you don’t have a game to worry about from the night before or another coming the following day.

And when you take a step back and consider the big picture, you find a lot to be pleased about the Nationals’ first half of the season. There were breakthrough performances, the arrival of several rookies including one of the top prospects in the sport and ultimately a better record (44-53) than at this same point one year ago (39-58).

Which isn’t to say everything went swimmingly in NatsTown. There were disappointing performances from a number of players, disruptive injuries and sloppy play at times. This is a team that felt at times like it could be good enough to win more games than it lost, but the record suggests there’s still a way to go before that feels plausible.

So before we move on to what could be a very entertaining – and newsworthy – second half, let’s look back at the things that went right for the Nationals in the first half and the things that went wrong …

RIGHT: THE YOUNG STARTING PITCHERS
Even the most optimistic club official or fan couldn’t have predicted how well the quartet of Jake Irvin, MacKenzie Gore, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz would pitch. (Many wouldn’t have even predicted Parker and Herz would be in the big leagues to begin with.) But this turned into the most important story of the first half. Combine their stats, and those four young starters delivered a 3.91 ERA and 1.238 WHIP while issuing only 2.5 walks per nine innings and surrendered slightly more than one homer per nine innings. And those numbers looked even better a couple weeks ago, before all four labored in their final outings leading up to the break. If they can return refreshed and get back to what they did throughout April, May and June, the Nats will have the makings of a strong rotation for years to come.

Tuesday’s news on Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli wasn’t good, certainly not in Gray’s case. The Nationals’ Opening Day starter, who landed on the injured list after two outings with a right flexor strain, has been shut down during the final stages of his rehab assignment after a recurrence of elbow discomfort and is scheduled to visit specialist Keith Meister in Dallas during the All-Star break.

We won’t know until then whether Gray’s injury has become far more significant and requires surgery, or whether he managed to avoid the worst and just needs more time off. Either way, it’s clear he won’t be pitching in the big leagues anytime soon, and his 2024 season could end up a complete wash.

There’s still reasonable hope for Cavalli pitching major league games for the Nationals in the relatively near future, though his return from Tommy John surgery isn’t as imminent as it once looked after the right-hander came down with the flu last week and now needs to start building up his arm yet again. Both Cavalli and Gray’s rehab assignments have been shut down.

This would have qualified as terrible news back in April. The Nats absolutely were counting on both Gray and Cavalli to be a big part of their 2024 rotation, and then for years to come after that.

It’s still bad news, but it may not be as damaging to the club’s short-term and long-term hopes as most would’ve thought when the season began. For that, we can thank the remarkable and unexpected ascension of three other young starting pitchers who have dazzled so far in the majors this year: Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz.

Josiah Gray is unlikely to pitch again for some time after the right-hander experienced elbow discomfort during his last rehab start, prompting the Nationals to schedule an MRI and a consultation with Dallas specialist Keith Meister during the All-Star break.

Though they don’t yet know the extent of this setback, the Nationals and Gray admittedly are worried about the possibility of a serious injury that requires him to miss considerable time after he already spent nearly three months trying to make it back from a flexor strain in his elbow and forearm.

“I’m a little concerned right now,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We got him ramped up, he looked good. Last outing, the velo wasn’t there. He said he just felt tired. His arm, he felt like he had nothing in there. So we’ll wait and see what happens.”

Gray was making his fifth rehab start of the month Sunday, his previous outing Tuesday for Triple-A Rochester going exceptionally well: six innings of one-run ball on 73 pitches. This latest appearance bore little resemblance to that one, with Gray getting roughed up for seven runs in three innings and his fastball topping out at 91.9 mph.

“Honestly, I felt really good going into it,” the 26-year-old said. “And then in between innings, I didn’t feel like I was recovering well. I just felt a little fatigued. Told the trainers, and we tried to get ahead of it. We’ll see what we’ve got when we get the MRI.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – From the outset of this season, there have been several anticipated developments that would signify major steps forward for the rebuilding Nationals. When would CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore become big-time big-leaguers? When would James Wood make his major league debut? And when would the club have enough quality pitching depth to bump Patrick Corbin from his longstanding spot in the rotation?

As the calendar now shifts to July, we’ve already seen the first question come into focus with the ascension of Abrams and Gore. And we’re about to see the second one answered Monday night when one of the top prospects in baseball makes his planned major league debut.

The answer to the third question, though, remains very much up in the air. And today’s events, both here at Tropicana Field and 1,300 miles to the north at Frontier Field in Rochester, did little to clear things up.

During a 5-0 loss to the Rays, Corbin put forth a performance that epitomizes his last four seasons: four runs allowed in six innings. It wasn’t good, but neither was it bad enough to warrant immediate removal from the rotation.

"I thought my stuff today was pretty good," the veteran lefty said. "Sometimes, it doesn't really translate to the scorecard."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – By most conventional measurements, Josiah Gray should be ready to return from the injured list.

The Nationals right-hander, out since mid-April with a flexor strain in his elbow, has made four rehab starts this month, adding one inning each time out and maxing out at six innings Tuesday for Triple-A Rochester. That most recent start also was by far his best of the group, with only one run and four hits allowed, not to mention zero walks issued. He completed those six innings on only 73 pitches, but he got to 79 pitches the previous time on the mound.

So why aren’t the Nats activating Gray yet?

“I want to make sure when he comes back he’s ready,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We cleaned up his mechanics a little bit. The other day he felt really good, and he rebounded really well. So we’ll get him back out there.”

So Gray is remaining in Rochester and is scheduled to start Sunday, when he could throw as many as seven innings and build up his pitch count to 90.

SAN DIEGO – While the Nationals prepared for their second game against the Padres here in San Diego, they were also keeping an eye on a minor league game in Rochester, N.Y.

Josiah Gray made his fourth rehab start with Triple-A Rochester while nearing the end of his comeback from a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. And he had excellent results.

The right-hander completed six shutout innings with four hits, one run, no walks and four strikeouts on 73 pitches, 44 strikes. He'll probably throw more in the bullpen to get up to the targeted 90 pitches.

Gray has now completed three, four, five and six innings in his four rehab starts.

Nationals manager Davey Martinez, of course, didn’t have an update on Gray before the Nats’ game as he held his pregame media session as Rochester’s game was just getting started. But surely he will be happy with these results when we talk to him again after the game here.

SAN DIEGO – It looked like it could have been the beginning of the end for Patrick Corbin in the Nationals rotation on June 5.

The veteran left-hander, now one of only two active players remaining from the 2019 World Series championship roster and in the last season of his six-year, $140 million contract that has kept him has the highest paid player on the team while statistically being one of the worst pitchers in the sport, once again gave up a lot of runs in a single outing.

The Mets tagged him for six runs on seven hits (three home runs) in 5 ⅓ innings. Four days later, Josiah Gray, an important piece to the Nats rotation of the future, made his first rehab start while coming back from a right elbow/forearm flexor strain.

The two have pitched close to the same day over the last two weeks, seemingly lining up Gray to take Corbin’s spot in the rotation once he was deemed ready. Corbin’s future with the team remained a mystery. Would they move him to the bullpen, where they currently have only one lefty reliever? Would they try to use a six-man rotation like they did with some success last year? Or would they simply cut ties with the 34-year-old as a pending free agent with very little trade value?

Well, if you look at the way Corbin has pitched since that start against the Mets, it’s as if he’s borrowing a line from Lee Corso: “Not so fast, my friend.”

Josiah Gray was back in the Nationals clubhouse this morning after making his third rehab start with Double-A Harrisburg last night.

Gray, on the 15-day injured list since April 9 (retroactive to April 6) with a right elbow/forearm flexor strain, threw 79 pitches over five innings in last night’s outing, his second with the Senators. He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

Results aside, the right-hander said he felt good.

“I felt good, felt really good,” he said at his locker. “I got five innings there, (about) 80 pitches. Everything was really crisp. Changeup, curveball, fastball, cutter were on point and everything felt in control. Felt that I was throwing my best stuff out there. So I'm just looking forward to the next step and seeing where we go from there.”

Gray wasn’t sure what his next steps would be at the time. He was going to meet with manager Davey Martinez and the Nats training staff before today’s matinee finale against the Diamondbacks. The Nationals embark on a nine-game cross-country road trip tonight, and Gray didn’t know whether or not he would be going with them.

James Wood and Dylan Crews are teammates again. And for the first time, they’re teammates one step away from the major leagues.

Wood was activated off the minor league injured list today, just as Crews was promoted from Double-A Harrisburg, putting the Nationals’ top two prospects together in tonight’s lineup for Triple-A Rochester. Crews will lead off for the Red Wings and start in center field. Wood will bat right behind him and start in left field.

“They’re part of our big future here, and the future’s looking bright,” Nats manager Davey Martinez said. “The fact they’re up at the highest level in the minor leagues only tells me that they’re getting close.”

Wood was already dominating Triple-A pitching and seemed on the cusp of a final promotion to D.C. when he suffered a hamstring strain May 23 and landed on the 7-day IL. He returns just shy of four weeks later, healthy and hoping to pick up where he left off before getting hurt, when he was batting .355 with a .465 on-base percentage and 1.062 OPS in 45 games.

Crews, meanwhile, got his much anticipated promotion to Triple-A after a strong month-plus in Harrisburg following a slow start to his season. The No. 2 pick in last summer’s draft had a .664 OPS with only three extra-base hits in April. Since then, he has produced an .834 OPS with 16 extra-base hits in 39 games.

Seeking another right-handed bat to a lineup that has lacked for consistent production, the Nationals signed Harold Ramírez to a minor league contract today, with the understanding the veteran outfielder/first baseman could be called up to the majors in short order.

Ramírez, 29, owns a career .287/.325/.408 slash line in parts of six seasons with the Marlins, Guardians and Rays and was a highly productive member of Tampa Bay’s lineup last year with a .313/.353/.460 slash line in 122 games. But after slumping this season to a .589 OPS, Ramírez was designated for assignment and then released Friday.

The Rays owe Ramírez the bulk of his $3.8 million salary, and the Nationals now only responsible for a prorated portion of the major league minimum ($740,000) if he reaches the big leagues with them. He’s due to report to Triple-A Rochester and play for the Red Wings tonight, and if things go well he could be promoted in a week or so.

“We signed him to help us here, not Triple-A,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We want him here. But we’ve got to get him going. He hasn’t played in about seven, eight, nine days. I want to give him some at-bats before he comes up.”

Ramírez has played the bulk of his career at the two corner outfield positions while also serving as a regular DH, but he does have 39 games of experience at first base. Martinez mentioned all of those positions in listing where Ramírez could help them, then specifically suggested he could be a right-handed option for them in left field, which has been manned by the left-handed Jesse Winker most of the season.