Bradford begins rehab assignment as Montgomery nears return
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ARLINGTON -- Rangers reinforcements are on the way.
On Sunday, left-handed pitcher Cody Bradford made his first rehab start with Double-A Frisco on rehab assignment, while fellow left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery is continuing his rehab with Triple-A Round Rock. Both are returning from their respective elbow surgeries.
Montgomery:
How did he perform?
In his fifth rehab start, Montgomery 52 pitches (35 strikes) in four innings, allowing one earned while notching one strikeout without giving up a walk. He touched 91.6 mph with his four-seam fastball, and sat between 89-90 mph with the heater and his sinker.
What’s next?
Montgomery will likely make at least one more rehab assignment before joining the big league club for his 2026 debut.
What are they saying?
“I've gained velo every time,” Montgomery said earlier this week. “I’ve gotten more comfortable out there and I’m recovering fine every time. We added plyos to my routine, so that should help shorten the arm path a little bit. I’ll just keep listening to them and trust when they're saying I'm in a good spot, and just keep competing. … It sounds like I'm gonna be a starter, so I appreciate them not rushing me, especially with Jack [Leiter] going down. It'll be nice to have five, six innings, and just see what they want to get from me.”
What else?
Veteran Cal Quantrill has stepped up in the rotation since Jack Leiter landed on the injured list following right ankle surgery. While Quantrill has performed well (2.12 ERA in four starts), he has left a void in the bullpen, which now employs five rookies with no true long man.
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Bradford:
How did he perform?
Bradford, who experienced a slight setback in his rehab back in May, threw just one innings for the RoughRiders. He allowed one earned run due to giving up two walks, while striking out one batter. He threw 21 pitches in the inning, but only seven of them were strikes.
What’s next?
Bradford will continue a build-up similar to Montgomery, adding an inning with each rehab outing.
What are they saying?
“I think me and Monty both see the team in need of pitching,” Bradford said earlier this week. “We're hopeful that we can help serve in that way. We're working as hard as we can to get back as soon as possible, and it could mean coming back sooner than we initially thought. I think that would be a good thing."