Gray threw 82 pitches on a back field Thursday in order to work on his changeup rather than worrying about game results, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander has looked good over three Grapefruit League starts, posting a 6:1 K:BB through 6.1 innings and, perhaps more importantly, not giving up a home run, and Thursday's outing under controlled conditions indicates he's stretched out enough for the beginning of the regular season. Gray is still only 25 years old, and while his big-league numbers so far have been marred by his inability to keep the ball in the park, he still has plenty of upside. Adding a viable changeup to his arsenal might both improve his strikeout numbers and help him reduce his homers.

Gray gave up three hits and struck out one over two scoreless innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Facing a young St. Louis lineup that gave prominent spots in the batting order to the likes of Nolan Gorman and top prospect Jordan Walker, Gray breezed through the first two frames after needing only three pitches to strike out Brendan Donovan to lead off the game. The right-hander hasn't given up a run through his first three spring innings and is locked into a rotation spot for the Nationals, but Gray will need to find a solution to his long-ball woes -- he's served up 57 homers in 219.1 big-league innings so far in his career -- if he's going to become a reliable fantasy asset.

Gray threw nine pitches in a scoreless inning Sunday against the Mets, and five of them were cutters, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander added the pitch to his arsenal this winter after managing a 5.17 ERA and brutal 2.34 HR/9 through his first 219.1 big-league innings over the last two seasons. Gray's strikeout rates still offer plenty of optimism that he can develop into a quality pitcher, but the 25-year-old has a lot to prove before he can be considered a reliable fantasy option.

Gray will not make another start this season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

He would have been on turn to take the ball Tuesday or Wednesday, but Cory Abbott, Paolo Espino and Erick Fedde will be the starters for the road series against the Mets. Gray doesn't turn 25 until December, but this was undoubtedly a rough first full season in the majors. The 6-foot-1 righty posted a 5.02 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 154 strikeouts across 148.2 innings while going 7-10 in 28 starts.

Gray did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over six innings against Atlanta. He struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

Gray got back on track Wednesday with his first quality start since Aug. 15. The only damage came via a solo homer off the bat of Matt Olson in the second inning as he only allowed three other batters to reach base on the night. The start comes as he had allowed a miserable 18 earned runs in 19.1 innings over his previous four outings. He will take a 5.02 ERA into his next start.

Gray (7-10) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings as the Nationals were downed 5-2 by the Marlins. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

For the first time since June 8, Gray didn't allow a homer while also walking less than two batters, but it still didn't result in a particularly effective outing. The right-hander has been tagged for at least four runs in four straight starts, and while his numbers on the season aren't good, he's gotten even worse since the All-Star break with a 6.57 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 46:25 K:BB through 50.2 innings over his last 10 trips to the mound. A career-high workload of 142.2 innings may be at least partially to blame for his late-season regression.

Gray didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 5-4 win over the Marlins, giving up four runs on five hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out four.

EDGE Analysis

All four runs off the right-hander crossed the plate in the second inning, with a two-run home run by Lewin Diaz being the big blast. Gray otherwise held Miami in check though, and he got taken off the hook for his 10th loss when the Nationals rallied in the seventh inning. His main issues remain, however -- Gray has served up at least one homer in 13 straight starts and walked multiple batters in 10 of them, a combination that has left him with a 6.32 ERA and 1.51 WHIP over that stretch despite a 10.0 K/9.

Gray did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks over 3.1 innings against the Cardinals. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

Gray was not at his best as he allowed nine runners to reach base, including two home runs and three walks, but he was able to avoid the loss as the Nationals scored 11 runs on the day. The 24-year-old has now allowed at least one home run in each of his last 12 outings dating back to June 25 and has walked at least three batters in five of those. His ERA has increased more than a full run from 3.95 on June 18 to 5.06. He will try to get back on track in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for next week against Miami.

Gray (7-9) took the loss Friday, coughing up six runs on six hits and four walks over five innings as the Nationals were downed 7-3 by the Mets. He struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

Four of the hits off the right-hander went for extra bases, including homers by Eduardo Escobar and Pete Alonso. It's the sixth time in his last nine starts Gray has served up multiple long balls, and he carries a shaky 6.08 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 3.4 HR/9 and 54:22 K:BB through 47.1 innings over that stretch.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez confirmed that Gray will make his next start Friday against the Mets at Citi Field, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Unless he's needed in an emergency out of the bullpen over the next three games, Gray will be returning to the mound Friday on 11 days' rest. The Nationals' decision to skip Gray's turn through the rotation was a matter of workload management, and it's possible that the Nationals deploy a six-man rotation in the final five weeks of the season or pass him over for a start on at least one or two more occasions in an effort to keep his innings in check. When he's available to make starts, Gray isn't expected to face any major restrictions, though the Nationals likely won't have him push far past 100 pitches in those outings.