Jon GrayLast week’s season almost officially ended, with thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosed and then placed on the Rangers’ 15-day injury list. TOS surgery will keep the gray through most of the 2026 season, perhaps the entire season next year, and at the time of opening day in 2027, the gray will be 35 years old. The idea of completely hanging up the gloves at least crosses Gray’s, obviously Evan Gray’s, because Evan Grant for Dallas Morning’s news is a grey response.
Asked about pitching again in 2025, Gray said:I know nothing about the future. I think there is always hope. But, everything that happens is hard to be hopeful. It’s just a very frustrating pattern. “That is, Gray noted that he is interested in looking for “Go out with a good feeling” Rather than being forced to quit baseball due to injury.
Given that TOS surgery has not been formally planned, it has been too early to read too much for Gray’s direct reaction, as his emotions (understandably) the latest major setback to his career is primitive. He wasn’t rushing to make any major decisions about his career, and naturally gray might want to take the time to think about getting out of the game altogether.
However, this significant injury adds a layer, which looks like a right-handed offseason crossroads. Gray is in his last season of four-year, 56mm contract, and he has pitched only 14 innings this season due to wrist damage in spring training and then the most recent IL placement. The Rangers used grey in the bullpen instead of being a starter, and he worked hard to reach the 7.71 era in six appearances.
The sample size is small enough to make any clear observations from Gray’s 2025 performance, and the 5 home runs allowed in his 14 innings obviously biased his numbers to some extent. Apparently, Gray hopes to enter the free agent market platform for the year is not that kind of platform yet, and if healthy, he will likely get a year’s guarantee from a team that hopes he can rebound. TOS surgery could make a two-year contract possible with the lowest salary for the first year, and for 2027 the gray promise may be healthy, but it is not too expensive given the overall size of the contract that isn’t taking into account the shaky record of the pitcher returning in good form of thoracic export syndrome.
Due to gray, injury has been a common concern as multiple issues (foot problems, MCL strains, oblique forces, blisters, shoulder inflammation, forearm strains, multiple groin strains in 2024, and his fractured wrist) have led to the IL experience throughout his 11 major leagues. Despite these health difficulties and his first seven seasons in the thin air of the Rockies, Gray had an ERA of 4.49 ERA, a strikeout rate of 23.4% and a 7.8% walk rate in the 1230 2/3 career innings.
Gray was selected third by Colorado in the 2013 draft, and Gray didn’t reach the star level associated with such a lofty draft state, but he has been a solid rotation member throughout his career as he is a frontline starter. If it was Gray, he could be proud of his long career, including the 2023 World Series Ring with Texas and Texas.
Grant proposed two other factors that could affect any of Grey’s retirement plans. Gray has over 10 years of Major League Baseball service (which officially crossed the threshold earlier this season), so he is already eligible for a full pension. There is a general expectation that Major League Baseball will face work-at-time shutdowns when the collective bargaining agreement expires after the end of the 2026 season, so if Gray does indeed miss it when he recovers next year, the lockdown could be further delayed to the field.
