Major League Baseball's epidemic of major arm injuries among pitchers continues. The latest to suffer a serious elbow injury is Washington Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray.

The Nationals announced that Gray has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. He was scheduled to start for Washington on Tuesday versus the San Francisco Giants. Right-hander Joan Adon was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take his place.

In his two starts this season, Gray struck out nine batters in 8 1/3 innings but allowed 13 runs and 15 hits. Last year, he finished with an 8–13 record, 3.91 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 159 innings. Gray also allowed 22 home runs and 80 walks in his second full major-league season. He was Washington's lone All-Star representative.

The 26-year-old was a top prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers and a key piece with catcher Keibert Ruiz in the 2021 trade for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. With a 4.80 ERA in four seasons with the Nationals, he is eligible for arbitration next year.

Gray joins a list of acclaimed pitchers who have sustained arm injuries, including Yankees star Gerrit Cole, the Braves' Spencer Strider, Framber Valdez of the Astros, Boston's Nick Pivetta and the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani. Guardians ace Shane Bieber, Lucas Giolito of the Red Sox and the Marlins' Eury Perez have already undergone or will require reconstructive Tommy John surgery on their damaged elbows.

Many factors are being considered in this epidemic of pitching injuries, including players throwing harder than ever, gripping the ball harder to increase spin rate and poor mechanics. The MLB Players Association has blamed the pitch clock that the league implemented last season. But Bieber, for one, isn't certain that should be cited as a cause.