Joe Gray Jr. was in danger of becoming a forgotten prospect, at least publicly. He was a second-round pick of the Brewers in 2018, signing for exact slot at $1,113,500, but a bout of pneumonia that year, a hamstring strain in 2019 and the canceled 2020 season limited him to only 55 games in his first three Minor League campaigns.

The Brewers’ No. 9 prospect finally got to see full-season ball this summer, and with the way he performed between Low-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin earned his way to fall ball as well.

“It means a lot,” Gray said of his invite to the Arizona Fall League. “It definitely means that they’re starting to see what I can do, and that’s something I’m taking to heart, especially after the last few years. I had an injury-plagued career. So I thank them for the opportunity to showcase my talents, not just to them but every other team in the MLB.”

• AFL stats | Salt River roster | Arizona Fall League coverage

When able to play, the 21-year-old outfielder can show above-average power and speed and is considered a gifted defender on the grass, both in his ability to cover ground and throw the baseball. He backed up those scouting reports by hitting .252/.355/.499 with 20 homers and 23 steals over his two stops in 2021. He was one of two 20-20 players in the Milwaukee system, alongside fellow Fall Leaguer Joey Wiemer, and one of only 16 to hit the marks across all of the Minors.

But for Gray, the biggest number for him was this: 110 games played.

“The best ability is availability,” he said. “If it wasn’t for me taking pride in staying on the field and doing things that I need to do to stay in the outfield and stay doing things day to day, then I don’t think I would be able to get to that point to trust myself.”

Now that he is getting regular playing time, Gray is trying to remember not to get too ahead of himself. He said that was part of the issue at the end of the season in Wisconsin, where his .688 OPS was in stark contrast to his 1.039 mark with Carolina. And that could still be the case in the AFL after he opened the first two weeks 1-for-20 (.050) through six games. Like everything else in Gray’s career, that mind-set will come in time.

“Slow down,” he said. “Obviously, that was my biggest thing to take away from High-A. I was trying to just keep the momentum going so, so, so bad that I think I got in my own way. So just slow down, take it day to day and realize I have the ability to do it.”

Brewers hitters in the AFL

Mario Feliciano, C (No. 13): Feliciano was on track to debut in the Majors this season and did … for only one game. A shoulder impingement limited him to only 32 games with Triple-A Nashville this summer, and he hit just .210/.246/.314 with three homers in that span. When he’s on, Feliciano can show average power and stands out defensively for his plus arm. The Fall League offers him more opportunities to show those off, and it’s a point in Feliciano’s favor that he still only turns 23 in November.

Joey Wiemer, OF (No. 23): The 2020 fourth-rounder is a fascinating Fall League follow. He has impressive tools with above-average power and speed that helped him hit 27 homers and steal 30 bases at Low-A/High-A during the regular season. His arm also grades out as a 70 from the outfield. His overall hit tool is the big question. Wiemer is a max-effort swinger who could theoretically get into swing-and-miss issues against upper-level pitching. Then again, the Brewers are comfortable keeping him in that approach as long as it works. It has thus far.

Brewers pitchers in the AFL

Abner Uribe, RHP (No. 26): How’s this for a loud tool? Uribe can sit 99-100 mph with his fastball and even add a little bit more velo than that. He entered the Fall League’s second week with the seven highest velocities as measured by Statcast at Salt River Fields, topping out at 100.6 mph. He’ll flash an average slider/cutter and has mixed in a changeup, but he’s very much a hard-throwing, two-pitch reliever who can struggle with control. Uribe struck out 52 and walked 25 in 33 2/3 innings for Low-A Carolina this season.

Taylor Floyd, RHP: The 2019 10th-rounder out of Texas Tech drops down a bit and throws from a sidearm angle with a low-90s sinker and an upper-70s slider. He posted solid numbers at High-A Wisconsin (3.33 ERA, 72 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings) and ended his 2021 season with 7 1/3 scoreless frames at Double-A Biloxi. The Fall League offers another test of that late-season progress and an opportunity to hone in on a little more control.

J.T. Hintzen, RHP: Another 10th-rounder -- this time from 2018 -- Hintzen was similarly effective at Double-A, finishing with a 3.88 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, 79 strikeouts and 18 walks in 58 innings of relief. His arsenal isn’t typical of the modern reliever. His fastball has sat in the low-90s in the early days of the Fall League, and he’ll mix in a slider, a curveball, a changeup and even an occasional knuckleball with a spin rate of only 300-400 rpm.

Justin Jarvis, RHP: Topping out at 95 mph in high school, Jarvis was thought to be a solid pick in the fifth round of the 2018 Draft but has needed some runway to get going in the early days of his career. He had a 5.40 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP with 62 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings at High-A, and the Fall League could offer a chance to prove whether he still has a chance to start or if he should move into relief sooner than later.

Lun Zhao, RHP: Zhao signed with the Brewers out of China in June 2018 but has thrown only 17 innings since then, in part due to Tommy John surgery and the canceled 2020 season. He throws primarily upper-80s cutters with the occasional curve and change.