The Baltimore Orioles will be without right-handed starter Kyle Bradish for the remainder of the season after he underwent Tommy John surgery, including the installation of an internal brace in support of his ulnar collateral ligament, the team announced Wednesday.
Bradish missed the first month of the 2024 season after a first UCL sprain was discovered in February. Rather than address the problem surgically, Bradish and the Orioles opted to rehab the tear. Unfortunately, they were able to avoid an operation for only so long.
Bradish this season had pitched to a 2.75 ERA and a 2.48 FIP in 39 1/3 innings spread across eight starts. The 27-year-old is also coming off a breakout 2023 campaign in which he pitched to a 2.83 ERA and a 3.82 K/BB ratio in 168 2/3 innings for a Baltimore team that won 101 games and the American League East title. For his efforts, Bradish finished fourth in the AL Cy Young vote.
The Baltimore rotation is already without John Means and Tyler Wells, who are each expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 season following elbow surgeries of their own. These ongoing injury blows mean that general manager Mike Elias may be active in looking for starting pitching leading up to the trade deadline.
Such boldness -- the kind of boldness that landed ace Corbin Burnes this past offseason -- may be required if the O's are going catch and beat the Yankees in the AL East. The Orioles will enter Wednesday's game against the Yankees with a 47-25 record, putting them 2 1/2 games back.
