Baltimore Orioles Boss Says Injured Starter Ready For Call-Up

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish is done with rehab assignments and will join the team next week, according to manager Brandon Hyde.

Jun 20, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish. / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Bradish has done enough to convince the Baltimore Orioles that he’s ready to return to the rotation.

Manager Brandon Hyde told media covering the team on Saturday that Bradish, who completed his third rehab start on Friday at Triple-A Norfolk, will join the team next week.

When is the question, and Hyde admitted they’re still talking about it. If the Orioles wanted to keep the right-hander on time that would mean a Wednesday start against the New York Yankees.

The Orioles haven’t announced their probable starters for the four-game series with the Yankees, which starts on Monday at Camden Yards. But, in their current five-man rotation, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer and Corbin Burnes would be the scheduled starters.

Waiting until the finale on Thursday would give the 27-year-old right-hander an extra day to rest.

Bradish is recovering from a right UCL sprain, which is the same ligament that can lead to Tommy John surgery. That set him behind everyone else in spring training as the Orioles basically shut him down for a couple of weeks to ensure the injury started healing properly.

The UCL is the ligament associated with Tommy John surgery.

Hyde said earlier this week that he wanted Bradish to hit five innings and 80 pitches in a rehab start before he entertained the thought of bringing last year’s ace up.

On Friday, Bradish threw 77 pitches in five innings, giving up five hits, one earned run and one walk while striking out six.

That was enough to convince the O’s that he was ready.

The Orioles have done well without him, even after losing Tyler Wells to an injury. Albert Suárez has been brilliant in two starts in place of Wells.

But Bradish went 12-7 in 30 starts in 2023, throwing 168.2 innings and striking out 168 last season. He had the fourth-best ERA in baseball at 2.83 and had a 1.04 WHIP. He helped the Orioles win the American League East for the first time since 2016.