Rangers' Cody Bradford: Slated for bullpen session
Rotowire
Bradford (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
To this point, Bradford has been limited to throwing fastballs and changeups on flat ground. While he has not yet been cleared to spin breaking balls, the left-hander is encouraged with his progress from a sprained UCL in his pitching elbow. Bradford is on the 60-day injured list, and it will likely be a few weeks before a timetable for his 2025 debut with the Rangers becomes clearer.
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Rangers' Cody Bradford: Throwing from 90 feet
Rotowire
Bradford (elbow) threw from 90 feet on flat ground this week, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The left-hander will begin throwing breaking balls next week and believes he will be ready to throw off a mound within the next three weeks. That timeline suggests Bradford will not be back before the end of May, but he is making progress. The southpaw is on the 60-day injured list and working his way back from a left elbow sprain.
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Rangers' Cody Bradford: Shifts to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Rangers transferred Bradford (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.
Bradford is still working his way back from a sprained left elbow that he suffered during spring training. He won't be eligible to return until late May at the earliest.
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Rangers' Cody Bradford: Goes on IL
Rotowire
The Rangers placed Bradford (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.
Bradford has been diagnosed with a left elbow sprain since being scratched from a Cactus League start March 12, with manager Bruce Bochy relaying that the southpaw would be shut down from throwing for four weeks. Even if Bradford is cleared to begin a throwing program by mid-April, he'll likely need at least another month to get stretched back out and complete a rehab assignment. Any setback along the way would make him a candidate to move to the 60-day IL.
Manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday that Bradford (elbow) will be shut down from throwing for four weeks, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Bochy's comments confirm that Bradford is not looking at a minimum-length stay on the injured list, as the left-hander will likely need significant time to build back up once his no-throw period is over. With Jon Gray (wrist) also slated to miss the beginning of the season, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are both likely to join the Rangers' Opening Day rotation.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday that Bradford (elbow) will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
An MRI on Bradford's left elbow came back negative for structural damage, but he will be shut down for up to 10 days to allow the soreness to subside. The left-hander will need to rebuild his stamina after that, so it's possible he'll require longer than a minimum stay on the IL. Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are the primary candidates to fill Bradford's slot in Texas' rotation.
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Rangers' Cody Bradford: Nursing sore elbow
Rotowire
Rangers general manager Chris Young said that Bradford has been scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Wednesday against the Reds due to left elbow soreness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports. Bradford will be shut down for four or five days before resuming his throwing program.
An elbow injury at this stage of spring training puts Bradford at risk of not being ready for Opening Day, but the Rangers will wait and see how the southpaw responds to a few days of rest before determining his next steps. On a positive note, Young relayed that Bradford underwent an MRI on his elbow, which came back clean. If healthy, Bradford would seemingly have the inside track on a spot at the back end of the Texas rotation to open the season. However, if Bradford requires a stint on the injured list, the door would be open for either Kumar Rocker or Dane Dunning to break camp in a starting role.
Bradford allowed three hits and one walk while striking out three over three scoreless inning in Friday's spring start against the Cubs.
This was Bradford's second Cactus League start, and the left-hander upped his pitch count to 48 (34 strikes). Among those 48 pitches, 26 were the four-seam fastball, which induced eight called strikes or whiffs, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. "Extension helps a lot," the 27-year-old said of his fastball. "It's got a little bit of a hop. There's some vert to it. It's pretty efficient. And, probably, I'd say, command [makes a difference]." Bradford looks primed to push for a rotation spot; he's yet to allow a run over five innings this spring, striking out five and walking one.
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