Baltimore Orioles Ace Hits The IL

On Saturday, the Orioles placed Kyle Bradish on the 15-day IL.

Jun 14, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish (38) throws a first inning pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles placed star pitcher Kyle Bradish on the 15-day IL on Saturday with a right UCL sprain. This is his second IL stint of 2024, after he began the year on the shelf with a prior UCL injury. While there hasn't been an update on how long the right-hander will be out, another UCL injury is cause for concern.

Orioles manager, Brandon Hyde, addressed the news, saying "he’s still going to get tests done and see other doctors." Hyde stressed that because it's so soon, the team isn't going to "jump to any conclusions" just yet.

Bradish's first injury occurred over the winter, and in order to avoid surgery he had a PRP injection in his elbow. The injection allowed him to be healthy enough to start eight games after coming off the injury this season.

Coming off the injured list on May 2, the Orioles ace got started right where he left off after his breakout in 2023. Bradish finished fourth in the AL Cy Young race last season, throwing 168.2 innings to the tune of a 2.83 ERA and 9.0 K/9. In 2024, though, it appeared that he may have even taken another step forward.

In 39.1 innings before the injury, Bradish posted a 2.75 ERA, but what was extremely encouraging was his boosted strikeout rate. It had jumped to 12.1 K/9, and although he was walking more batters, the strikeout numbers taking that big of a leap showed that he was just getting better. Not much had changed about his pitch mix, other than a bit of an uptick in his slider usage.

In the corresponding move, Baltimore re-called left handed reliever Nick Vespi. The reliever saw two innings of action earlier in the season, but has been up and down over the last three years. in 2023, he threw 14.2 innings with a 4.30 ERA and had a 4.10 ERA in his 26.1 innings of action in 2022. The 28-year-old is joining an Orioles pen that has been fantastic, and could be something of a replacement for injured lefty Danny Coulombe.

Elbow injuries are always scary, and for Bradish to re-injure his UCL after just eight starts, it would seem based on history that surgery is very possible. It will be something to keep an eye on, as they are in the thick of the AL East race. The Orioles have been the subject of a lot of trade rumors and if the Bradish injury is long term, they will be in the mix for every starter at the deadline.