In the City of Angels, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been tested by the baseball gods with pitching injuries this season, will be sent a blessing in the form of pitcher Josiah Gray.
Today, the team announced that they selected the contract of minor league pitcher Josiah Gray from AAA Oklahoma City. Considered by many outlets, including ESPN, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, and The Athletic as the top minor league prospect in the Dodgers’ organization, he immediately arrives to a team starving for starting pitching options.
Facing off against former Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood, the 6’1″ RHP Gray will be supported in his major league debut by the Los Angeles crowd as the game takes place on Tuesday at 7:10 pm. In their scouting report of Gray earlier this year, MLB Pipeline touched on his pitching repertoire and the mentality that he’ll bring to the big league club.
“Hitters have difficulty catching up to Gray’s 92-97 mph fastball, which seems to explode at the plate with riding and rising life. He sharpened both of his breaking balls at the alternate training site [last year], tightening up and adding some power to his mid-80s slider while improving his feel for his upper-70s curveball. His changeup is more of a work in progress because he didn’t use it much in college, and it features some sink but gets too firm at times.”
Continuing in the report, “The athleticism that made Gray a shortstop translates well to pitching. He repeats his delivery well and shows the ability to harness his electric fastball and slider. He’s one of the toughest competitors in the system, adding to a package that the Dodgers believe will produce a mid-rotation starter.”
This year at AAA Oklahoma City, Gray pitched in four games, going 15.2 innings, striking out 22 batters, having a 2.87 ERA, and posting a 0.64 WHIP. Shoulder issues earlier this season limited his innings, but he’s past those and ready to contribute to the major league club, according to manager Dave Roberts.
Gray is currently on the taxi squad and will need to be added to the 40-man roster tomorrow as another player gets removed in a corresponding move.
This promotion for Gray comes as the Dodgers currently suffer from a shortage of starting pitching options with Dustin May out for the year with a torn UCL, Trevor Bauer on administrative leave for sexual assault allegations, and Clayton Kershaw on the 10-day injured list for arm inflammation.
