Gray, Thompson waiting for green light to pitch off mound again

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.”

Gray is scheduled to remain in West Palm Beach after spring training concludes and continue his rehab here. If all goes according to plan, he’ll be ready to go on a minor league rehab assignment sometime this summer, then potentially pitch for the Nats before season’s end.

Thompson is already approaching the one-year mark on his Tommy John surgery, which occurred last spring. The reliever, who turns 27 next week, has completed most of his rehab program, but the Nationals are holding him back from throwing off a mound for a little while longer, so he was not among those who pitched during this morning’s workout.

“We’re going to play a lot more long toss with him right now, get him comfortable throwing flat grounds,” Martinez said. “And then we’ll move him to the bullpen. I don’t want to put a date on it, but probably a couple weeks.”

If Thompson doesn’t start throwing off a mound until March 1, would his chances of making the Opening Day bullpen be in jeopardy?

“I think there’s still time, because he is a reliever,” Martinez said. “We’ll see how things go.”