ARLINGTON -- Believe it or not, Cody Bradford still hasn’t pitched a full season in the big leagues.
Bradford made his MLB debut on May 15, 2023 and posted a 5.30 ERA as a swingman in the regular season before allowing one run in 7 2/3 innings across five postseason relief appearances. He was primed for a breakout. But the last two seasons have not been smooth.
Bradford was arguably the Rangers’ best starting pitcher in 2024 when he was healthy, but he was sidelined for months with nagging back and rib injuries. The left-hander had a 1.40 ERA when he first landed on the injured list on April 14, 2024. He finished the season with a 3.54 ERA in 76 1/3 innings.
Then, in 2025 -- a season that could have solidified him as a quality big league starter -- a Spring Training elbow injury ended his campaign before it even began. Bradford didn’t pitch at all and had an internal brace surgery on June 24.
And while 2026 won’t be Bradford’s first full season, either, he’s already looking forward to his return to the mound.
“The rehab process has, honestly, been really smooth,” Bradford said on Monday at the Rangers’ Winter Warm-Up stop in Dallas. “I do think the plan right now is to be, hopefully, really close to a rehab stint as soon as Spring Training breaks.”
President of baseball operations Chris Young confirmed that Bradford should be ready to start a full rehab assignment around Opening Day, with a May target date for a return to the big league mound. Young, as always, also cautioned that timelines can be flexible.
Bradford threw his first bullpen session recently and will continue that progression over the next few months. Bradford will welcome the day he faces opposing batters again.
“I think it’s just the desire to help the team win again,” Bradford said. “Everybody's faced with different challenges in professional baseball, and mine's an injury. I just want to not only show the team, but show the fans that I can be the same version of myself that I was before, if not a better version. That's the motivation moving forward.”
That being said, Bradford has taken his injuries in stride, despite them all coming at pivotal times in his young career.
It hasn’t been easy, he said. He would obviously rather be on the field, helping the team win. But injuries also add perspective to your life.
“It's really hard to be on the sidelines, but I think just staying grounded in my faith has been a really big help, knowing that there's a lot more to life than just baseball,” Bradford said. “And at the same time, getting to play this sport is a blessing. We get to have a career that a lot of little kids dream of having one day. Coming back from injury, it just reinvigorates your love for the game.”