The Tampa Bay Rays announcer estimates that it will take him four months to recover from his injuries.
A manager’s perfect 75-degree, clear spring training afternoon may be ruined by one thing. That would be needing to withdraw his pitcher just before a planned start.
Taj Bradley felt tightness in his pec muscle while warming up in the bullpen before his start against the Orioles in Sarasota on Tuesday. It was just what Kevin Cash and the Rays needed.
Starting pitcher injuries are the last thing Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder need to worry about, with Shane McClanahan out for the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Jeffrey Springs (TJ surgery), and Drew Rasmussen (non-TJ elbow procedure) sidelined until the second half of the season, assuming all goes well with their recoveries alongside.
Following Bradley’s afternoon collapse, Cash told reporters, “I’m optimistic right now.” “I’m not sure why. Simply put, I think we caught it early enough that it shouldn’t be too much of a concern.
That would be perfect, especially since there are just two weeks left before the season starts on March 28 versus Toronto at Tropicana Field.
Bradley, who made his debut with the team the previous season, would have started in his second Grapefruit League. He was called up from Triple-A Durham in April following Springs’ injury. After he made his first ten starts, the right-hander was 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA, but he struggled with consistency and spent time back in Durham. Bradley finished 5-8, 5.59 with no wins in his final 11 appearances with Tampa Bay.
Naturally, the goal is that the pectoral stiffness turns out to be a minor discomfort. On March 20, Bradley, who turns 23, is anticipated to participate in a Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, and Zack Littell are in the rotation. Additional options include Tyler Alexander, a November waiver claim from Detroit, and Ryan Pepiot, who was acquired from the Dodgers in a mid-December trade for Tyler Glasnow. Workload restrictions will be applied to Shane Baz, who missed the previous two seasons due to a sequence of elbow problems that finally required Tommy John surgery.
