Injured Baltimore Orioles Ace Hits One Goal To Return To Majors

Kyle Bradish made his third injury rehab start on Friday and hit one of the goals that manager Brandon Hyde set to return to the Majors.

Aug 1, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish. / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Injured Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish hit the five-inning mark in his third rehab start on Friday with Triple-A Norfolk, fulfilling one of the benchmarks that manager Brandon Hyde set for the right-hander to return to the Majors.

Bradish gave up five hits, one earned run and one walk while he struck out six.

Earlier this week, Hyde told reporters that he wanted Bradish to reach two milestones before the Orioles considered calling him up — five innings and 80 pitches.

Well, he came close to the other milestone on Friday, as he threw 77 pitches, 49 of which were for strikes.

This performance proved the 27-year-old right-hander is building up nicely for a return to Baltimore. In his last rehab start he went just 3.1 innings and threw 64 pitches.

Kyle Bradish's night is over and exits as the pitcher of record. His line:

5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
77 pitches, 49 strikes#RisingTide pic.twitter.com/IcFCiBj76s

— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) April 27, 2024

He made his first rehab start on April 16 when he threw three innings with Double-A Bowie. In that start he gave up six hits and four earned runs.

The Peoria, Ariz., native’s ramp-up is coming at an opportune time for the Orioles.

Baltimore decided to keep John Means in the minors for one more rehab start on Sunday for Norfolk. After that, the Orioles intend to call him up. Baltimore also had Tyler Wells on the 15-day injured list and it’s not clear when he’ll be ready to return.

Albert Suárez has been brilliant in two starts in place of Wells, but he’ll likely head to the bullpen when one of these starters returns.

The Orioles see this as a good problem but know they may need to manage their rotation creatively as players like Bradish return.

Bradish is recovering from a right UCL sprain, which is the same ligament that can lead to Tommy John surgery. Baltimore caught the sprain early in camp and believe that with rest and rehabilitation he can avoid surgery.

He 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.