Tristan Colby Gray (born March 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Amateur career

Gray graduated from Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas in 2014. As a senior, he batted .456 with 12 doubles and 23 RBIs. He was selected by the New York Mets in the 37th round of the

2014 MLB draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

, but did not sign and instead chose to enroll at Rice University where he played college baseball for the Rice Owls. In 2015, as a freshman at Rice, Gray appeared in 56 games, batting .247 with three home runs and 25 RBIs. As a sophomore in 2016, he missed time at the beginning of the year due to injury, but returned to

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.295/.353/.462 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 42 games. After the 2015 and 2016 seasons, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

for the Falmouth Commodores, and was named a league all-star in 2016. Gray broke out as a junior in 2017, hitting .313/.399/.540 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs in 47 games.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

After his junior year, he was drafted by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in the 13th round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...

. He signed and made his professional debut for the West Virginia Black Bears of the Low–A

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, where he was named an All-Star. He finished the season batting .269 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 53 games.

Tampa Bay Rays

On February 22, 2018, the Pirates traded Gray, Daniel Hudson and cash to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for

Corey Dickerson McKenzie Corey Dickerson (born May 22, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies (2013–2015), Tampa Bay Rays (2016–2017), ...

. He spent the 2018 season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, compiling a .238 batting average, 13 home runs, and 69 RBI in 118 games. He spent 2019 with the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double–A Southern League, slashing .225/.332/.409 with 17 home runs and 64 RBI over 122 games. Gray did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2021 season, he was assigned to the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

of the Triple-A East, slashing .246/.318/.428 with eight home runs and 33 RBI over 75 games. He returned to Durham for the 2022 season. Over 124 games, he batted .225 with 33 home runs and 89 RBI. To open the 2023 season, he was assigned to Durham. In 127 games, Gray batted .234/.309/.482 with 28 home runs and a career–high 91 RBI. On September 16, 2023, Gray was selected to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

and promoted to the major leagues for the first time after

Taylor Walls Davis Taylor Walls (born July 10, 1996) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. Amateur career Walls attended Crisp County High School in Cordele, Geor ...

was placed on the paternity list. In two games for the Rays, he went 2–for–5 (.400) with one home run and one RBI. Following the season on November 4, Gray was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Durham. He elected free agency on November 6.

Miami Marlins

On November 16, 2023, Gray signed a minor league contract with the

. In 34 games for the Triple–A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, he batted .227/.301/.523 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI. On May 12, 2024, the Marlins selected Gray's contract, adding him to their major league roster.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Tristan 1996 births Living people Baseball players from Houston Charlotte Stone Crabs players Durham Bulls players Falmouth Commodores players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Major League Baseball infielders Miami Marlins players Montgomery Biscuits players Perth Heat players Rice Owls baseball players Sugar Land Skeeters players Tampa Bay Rays players West Virginia Black Bears players