The Washington Nationals have reportedly made another move to bolster the coaching staff under new manager Blake Butera.

The team will hire Corey Ray as the new first base coach, replacing Gerrardo Parra, who also previously spent time with the Brewers, in Washington.

Advertisement

Ray, 31, joins the organization after once being a high profile prospect as the former fifth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. His production didn’t materialize in his first seasons in the league where he spent time in the minors and AAA in 2019, but the Brewers retained him in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. With the Biloxi Shuckers in Double-A in 2018, Ray belted 27 home runs and 37 stolen bases prior to his promotion. Ray made his first MLB appearance on April 24, 2021 when he went 0-for-2 with one walk and run scored before being released in June of 2022, ending his playing career.

“Part of my career was me feeling entitled,” Ray said in 2023. “(I was thinking,) ‘I’ve got all these accolades; you should just put me in the major leagues,’ when in actuality, if you’re playing for a team that’s trying to win a World Series, you’ve got to earn it. You’ve got to be able to help them win a World Series when you’re up there. I don’t know that I forced their hand enough, through the injuries, through the ups and downs and through the inconsistencies, where they felt they needed me to help them win a World Series.”

But that also marked the start of the next phase in his career after the Chicago Cubs hired Ray on March 13, 2023 where he first became the bench coach for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, their Single-A affiliate. Nearly one year later, Ray was promoted to Chicago’s rookie-level affiliate, the Arizona Complex League Cubs.

Advertisement

Ray becomes the latest addition to Washington’s new coaching staff under Blake Butera, while Paul Toboni was hired as the club’s new president of baseball operations, with Michael Johns hired as the new bench coach and Simon Mathews as the new pitching coach.

Butera became the youngest manager in the MLB in over 50 years while Toboni joins the organization to give Washington a young new tandem in charge of the rebuild. Washington is looking to post its first winning record since 2019 after finishing the 2025 season 66-96.

“I’ve always believed that you win with people, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that Blake is the right person and the right leader for this role,” said Toboni in a statement at the time of Butera’s hire. “Blake comes into this position with experience in a variety of roles in player development, including as a successful manager, making him uniquely qualified to get the most out of the players in the clubhouse and help us reach the next level. He possesses a strong baseball acumen and has a reputation for building strong relationships with players and staff, making him a great fit for us in Washington, D.C. We’re so excited to welcome him to the Nationals family.”