In a somewhat surprising move on Sunday, the Washington Nationals added today’s starter, and new top pitching prospect, Josiah Gray, to the big league roster, but — and here is that surprising part — in order to make room for the 23-year-old right-hander, the team optioned reliever Tanner Rainey to Triple-A Rochester.
Rainey, 28, has dealt with injury issues this season, the latest one diagnosed as a stress reaction in his right tibia, and overall on the year, the hard-throwing, late-inning arm is struggling to repeat his success from the 2019 and ‘20 seasons, so, as Davey Martinez explained in his pregame presser on Sunday, they decided to send him down to their top minor league affiliate to get some consistent work in a less-pressure-filled environment.