Gray is scheduled to return to the Washington rotation for a start Thursday against the Pirates at PNC Park.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander will return to the mound for the first time since Sept. 3 after he found himself as the odd man out of the Nationals' six-man rotation last week, when Washington played five games in a seven-day stretch. Rather than making Gray available out of the bullpen, the Nationals used the pair of off days last week to give the 25-year-old right-hander an extended breather after he had gone 0-3 with a 8.49 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 20:21 K:BB in 23.1 innings over his last six starts. Gray isn't believed to be nursing an injury and should be in store for a normal workload in his return to the rotation Thursday.