Bradish has 'full confidence' in bounce-back from Tommy John surgery

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Kyle Bradish was among the best pitchers in baseball during the second half of the 2023 season. The Orioles right-hander was again terrific early in ¡®24.

The most incredible part of Bradish¡¯s breakout success may be that he was experiencing elbow discomfort and still put up numbers that powered him to a fourth-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2023.

So when Bradish felt some discomfort prior to reporting for Spring Training last year, he thought a platelet-rich plasma injection would help alleviate the issue and allow him to get through the 2024 season.

¡°What I was feeling, I was kind of dealing with the second half of the year before. We didn¡¯t know to what extent it was,¡± Bradish said. ¡°So I just thought I could go out and pitch and do the same thing.¡±

That did not end up being the case, of course. Bradish made only eight starts before the pain in his right elbow got worse. He underwent Tommy John surgery last June, and now, the 28-year-old isn¡¯t expected to return to Baltimore¡¯s rotation until the second half of the 2025 season, at the earliest.

Still, Bradish doesn¡¯t wish he could have undergone Tommy John surgery before last season and gotten a head start on his recovery.

¡°I think if I would have gotten the surgery in January, there kind of would have been a little regret and questioning if maybe I didn¡¯t have to get surgery,¡± Bradish said. ¡°Because it didn¡¯t feel that bad at that moment.¡±

None of Bradish¡¯s results made it look like he was dealing with elbow issues. He recorded a 2.83 ERA over 30 starts in 2023, including a 2.34 mark in 14 second-half outings. Then, after opening last season on the injured list, he came back and pitched to a 2.75 ERA in eight starts.

Bradish threw seven hitless innings vs. the White Sox in Chicago last May 26, as well as six innings of one-hit ball on the road against the Rays on June 8.

But Bradish says he was feeling ¡°significant pain¡± by the end of the six weeks in which he was making starts for Baltimore last season.

¡°I was out there trying to help my team win, and after that Phillies start [last June 14], I just knew I couldn¡¯t do it again,¡± Bradish said.

It can sometimes be a lonely recovery process for pitchers to go through Tommy John surgery rehab, which typically lasts more than a year. But Bradish has often been joined by fellow righty Tyler Wells, who underwent UCL reconstruction surgery last June and has a similar timeline.

Neither Bradish nor Wells will likely be an option for the O¡¯s rotation until after the All-Star break.

¡°It¡¯s definitely the second half,¡± general manager Mike Elias said. ¡°That¡¯s my expectation at this point.¡±

Everything is going well, though, for Bradish, who has been playing catch and throwing long toss in Sarasota since before the beginning of Spring Training. His arm feels good, there haven¡¯t been any setbacks and he is ¡°checking off all the boxes,¡± per manager Brandon Hyde.

¡°Whenever somebody is coming off of Tommy John or a major injury or surgery, you¡¯re optimistic and hoping for the best,¡± Hyde said. ¡°You believe in Kyle¡¯s makeup. He¡¯s a bulldog, and it¡¯s been hard for him not being able to be out there, with the team last year at the end and this spring. But he¡¯s doing an amazing job from a rehab standpoint.¡±

Bradish isn¡¯t looking too far ahead at the moment. His plan is to continue to build up and put himself in position to return to form -- and pitch even better -- once healthy.

And once he¡¯s eventually back on the mound in game action, he believes that will be the case.

¡°I have full confidence in myself that I¡¯ll make a full recovery,¡± Bradish said, ¡°and be back out there like the pitcher I was in ¡®23 and last year before the surgery.¡±