The Texas Rangers are hoping to get left-hander Cody Bradford back from his injury soon as he starts his rehab assignment.
Injured Texas Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford took a significant step towards returning to the pitching rotation by beginning a rehab assignment in Arizona on Friday.
Bradford started for the Arizona Complex League Rangers against the ACL Brewers, pitching a flawless first inning where he struck out one batter. He was replaced by Kumar Rocker in the second inning.
The Rangers had announced Bradford’s rehab start earlier in the day, also revealing that veteran starter Tyler Mahle would continue his rehab with Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday. Dane Dunning, another Rangers starter recovering from injury, is slated to follow Mahle in his rehab outing on Saturday.
Bradford had been placed on the 15-day injured list on April 14 initially due to a low back strain. However, subsequent imaging revealed a rare right rib stress fracture, prompting the Rangers to transfer him to the 60-day IL. Following this diagnosis, Bradford underwent a month-long shutdown period to expedite his recovery.
Once Bradford is ready to return, the Rangers plan to utilize him in their bullpen. At the beginning of the season, Bradford had quickly become a standout in the rotation, filling a gap left by several veteran pitchers including Mahle, Max Scherzer, and Jacob deGrom. Before his injury, Bradford had an impressive start to the season with a 3-0 record and a 1.40 ERA in his first three starts, accumulating 17 strikeouts against just two walks over 19 1/3 innings.
Bradford, a native of Aledo, Texas, made his Major League debut last year after a strong performance at Triple-A Round Rock. In 2021, he appeared in 20 games, starting eight, and contributed to the Rangers’ successful season. His journey to the majors included being named the 2018 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year while at Baylor University, where he also faced challenges due to thoracic outlet syndrome that limited his play in 2019 before undergoing surgery.
Despite these setbacks, the Rangers drafted Bradford in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. His professional debut was delayed until 2021 due to the surgery and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted minor league baseball activities.
