Injured Baltimore Orioles Stars Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells Continue Recovery

A Baltimore Orioles writer provided an update on the rehab and recovery of pitchers Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells.

Jun 8, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish (38) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Pitching wasn’t expected to be a weakness for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 after they acquired Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers in an offseason trade.

He was going to take over as the anchor and ace of the staff with some good depth behind him. Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells were expected to round things out in what was a very strong rotation on paper.

Unfortunately, nothing went according to plan with the staff.

Burnes was excellent, but the other four all ended the season on the injured list. Rodriguez made 20 starts, while Bradish, Means and Wells combined to make only 15.

It was Albert Suarez, who hadn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 2017, and Dean Kremer who tied for the most starts behind Burnes’ 32 with 24 apiece.

Rodriguez should be good to go when Spring Training kicks off to begin the 2025 campaign, as he just ran out of time to return from a strain in his right shoulder and back. The other three are all recovering from Tommy John surgery.

However, good news has been provided in a mailbag done by Orioles writer Roch Kubatko of MASN on Bradish and Wells. Means is currently a free agent. Someone asked about their rehabs and a positive update was given.

“Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said he’s expecting mid-season returns for both pitchers. “Knock on wood, their rehabs are on schedule or better right now,” he wrote.

That is excellent news for a Baltimore team that could use all the help it can get on the pitching staff. Reinforcements were needed with Burnes in the mix; if he departs, it will be imperative for them to find a top-of-the-rotation arm to go along with reinforcements.

When healthy, Bradish has shown that he is capable of performing at that level. He was a breakout performer in 2023, making 30 starts with a 2.83 ERA across 168.2 innings with 168 strikeouts and an impressive 4.9 WAR.

His performance in 2024 was on par with that through eight starts despite dealing with a sprain of his UCL that delayed his first appearance until May 2. Disappointingly, six weeks after returning to the mound, the ligament tore and his season was over.

Wells underwent Tommy John surgery previously in his career. While he was a member of the Minnesota Twins pitching in Double-A more than five years ago he went under the knife the first time.

He had been showing steady improvement since making his Major League debut in 2021 with Baltimore. The potential is there for him to be a reliable middle-of-the-rotation arm for Brandon Hyde to rely on.