Connor Grey, a 2012 Frewsburg High School graduate, is scheduled to start for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers of the Atlantic League on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the New York Mets

Connor Grey expects to climb the mound Sunday at CaroMont Health Park in Gastonia, North Carolina, wearing his familiar No. 12.

He’ll be a long way from New York City.

The 2012 Frewsburg High School graduate has been a member of the Osprey, Hops, Aces and Mets, among others, during his professional baseball career.

This weekend, the 30-year-old will suit up for the first time as a Ghost Pepper.

He couldn’t be happier.

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It’s been more than two years since Grey pitched in a competitive baseball game.

In the spring of 2023, he pitched in a pair of Spring Training games in Florida with the New York Mets. That came on the heels of his first and only promotion to the major leagues in September of the previous season when he warmed up in the Mets bullpen at Yankee Stadium, but never made it into a game.

On March 10, as the third pitcher into a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the 2016 St. Bonaventure University product allowed a two-run home run to Masyn Winn before striking out two batters and leaving the game after giving up a single to Jordan Walker.

His elbow was “tight for a few days,” following the game, but Grey later threw a bullpen session and felt like the arm loosened up as he continued to throw.

He made a scheduled minor-league start March 17, but pulled himself 20 pitches into the outing.

“I felt a big pull in my forearm that ended up being a strain,” Grey recalled later that summer. “A few days after the start they did an MRI that showed a partial tear as well.”

He was sidelined for six weeks before he resumed throwing and his velocity was back up to 92-94 mph. But during Grey’s first live batting practice after returning, he felt something in his elbow following a split-finger fastball. After a few days, he tried to throw again, but was only able to get his fastball up to 77 mph.

Eventually the 2016 20th-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks was diagnosed with an ulnar collateral ligament tear that required Tommy John surgery.

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On July 26, 2023, Dr. Keith Meister of TMI Sports Medicine in Arlington, Texas, performed a hybrid surgery method that takes the palmaris tendon from the wrist and also uses an internal brace to stabilize the UCL and elbow.

“Once I started rehab, I was pretty grateful my UCL lasted this long with how many people have to have Tommy John,” Grey said Friday afternoon. “I knew it was a matter of time before I would need it.”

Grey remained in an elbow brace for six weeks following his surgery and relocated to Cleveland to continue his rehab.

“They’ve gotten so good at it … my doctor has a 96% or 97% return-to-play rate,” Grey said of getting back to pitching. “I wasn’t too worried.”

He became a free agent when his contract with the Mets ran out at the end of the 2023 season.

“It definitely felt weird to have a baseball in my hand because I’d never gone six months without touching one,” Grey said of his rehab. “I just trusted my doctor that he’s one of the best. I knew he did good work and trusted it would hold.”

Originally he had hoped to return to the mound sometime during 2024, but as seasons ended and fall arrived, that opportunity never came.

“I knew at that point teams wouldn’t be signing guys with only a month left in the season,” Grey said. “I talked with my agent about going to play winter ball to try and showcase I was healthy to be ready to go for this year. He decided against that.”

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Over the winter, Grey waited for options.

Late last month, after a showcase in the New York City area and throwing in Arizona for the organization that drafted him, Grey heard from Gastonia, a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

“I’ve known about this league for a while, especially playing independent ball after COVID. I knew this was the highest step of indy ball,” said Grey, who pitched for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association in 2021. “This is an older league with more guys with big-league time than where I played previously.

“The goal is the same here,” he added, “get out of here as fast as possible.”

On Sunday, he’ll make the Ghost Peppers’ third start of the season, following Nick Wells and Raynel Espinal in the starting rotation.

Gastonia will be taking on the York Revolution, completing their three-game opening series of the season.

“I’m built up to four innings now, 60 pitches,” Grey said. “They’ve communicated with me that they are on my time, they won’t rush me back.”

Grey will be teammates with no fewer than nine players who have played in the majors including: Espinal, Justus Sheffield, Nick Snyder, Duane Underwood Jr., Richie Martin, Narciso Cook and Dalton Guthrie, in addition to former teammates Patrick Mazeika and Jack Reinheimer.

“They want to win, but they want guys out of here, signed on different teams, that’ll bring them better-quality guys the following year,” Grey said.

Gastonia was the top team in the South Division last year and York was the first-place finisher in the North Division. The Ghost Peppers were eliminated in the semifinals by the Charleston Dirty Birds before York swept the Dirty Birds 3-0 in the championship series.

Ideally, Grey won’t be around for this year’s Atlantic League playoffs.

He’s hoping to get back into affiliated ball to complete his dream of pitching in a regular-season big-league game.

“The goal is definitely to get back there. I think I could’ve had a job if I was healthy,” Grey said. “I have to show teams I’m healthy and I’m good to go.

“It’s a belief in myself,” he added, “that I’m worthy to be on a team and not here.”