It is the least favorite yet most inevitable part of Spring Training – roster cuts; and on Thursday morning, the Dodgers made the first of what will soon be many more to follow.

Shortly before the Dodgers squared off against the Oakland Athletics at Hohokam Stadium in nearby Mesa, AZ, the team announced the right-handers Josiah Gray and Edwin Uceta had been reassigned to minor league camp, leaving 60 players in major league Spring Training camp – 30 pitchers and 30 position players.

In reality, it is extremely rare for a non-roster invitee, which both Gray and Uceda were, to break camp on their team’s major league roster, although it does occasionally happen. But truth be told, there is zero doubt that both Gray, a second-round pick in the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Cincinnati Reds out of LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY and acquired by the Dodgers in the December 2018 trade that sent Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood, and Kyle Farmer to Cincinnatti; and Uceta, signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old, knew full well that this day was coming.

The 22-year-old Gray appeared in two games (one start) for the Dodgers this Spring, allowing two runs on three hits with no strikeouts or walks in his combined 1.1 innings pitched.

Uceda, also 22 years old, made two relief appearances this Spring, allowing no runs and five hits while striking out one and walking none in his combined 3.0 innings of work.

Although the sample size is small for both Gray and Uceda, they definitely left strong impressions on Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, pitching coach Mark Pryer, and their teammates, which, in reality, was their primary goal. They also gained invaluable experience of being in major league Spring Training camp, which simply cannot be achieved anywhere else on the planet.

By every indication, the two right-handers will begin the 2020 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. That being said, don’t be surprised to see Gray pitching under the lights at Dodger Stadium this season. Gray is currently ranked as the Dodger number three prospect by MLB’s Prospect Watch behind only middle infielder Gavin Lux and right-hander Dustin May respectively.

Stay tuned…

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