When Cody Bradford returns to the Texas Rangers — He’s very close — He could be a help

FRISCO – Cody Bradford came out of the bullpen Friday night to throw 2 2/3 scoreless innings for Double-A Frisco.

The Aledo High School left-hander, who got off to such a great start (3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in three starts) before an injury derailed his season, could be an option out of the bullpen when will return to the Texas Rangers roster. .

Bradford made eight starts and used the bullpen 12 times in 2023. In five relief appearances during the 2023 postseason, Bradford was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA and five strikeouts in 7 2 /3 innings.

“The big thing today was just getting back into the bullpen role and making sure the timing before the game was where it needed to be,” said Bradford, who allowed one hit, no walks and had two strikeouts in 34 innings. releases, including 20. strikes on Friday. “I was pretty exhausted. I didn’t give myself enough time between warm-ups in the first half, so I can make some adjustments there, but overall, I felt strong today. My back feels really good. I feel healthy. “

When Bradford, 26, went on the injured list with a back strain on April 14, it wasn’t clear to everyone that he would miss the next three months. Subsequent imaging revealed a stress fracture in the rib cage.

“It was surprising but it was a huge relief because the first week I thought it was tight back muscles,” he said. “Two days went by and it didn’t get better. Three days went by, a week went by and it didn’t get better. I got an injection and it still didn’t get better. I know I’m not crazy. So they took a further look and they took more pictures, it’s always a relief to have answers.”

The Rangers might prefer Bradford to work out of the bullpen for the final two months of the season. That way, he can continue to slowly develop his power as a valuable left-handed arm in the pen. Eventually, he could revert to a long relief option or return to the starter if the Rangers make it back to the postseason.

“I feel prepared that I could take players out of the Major Leagues right now, but in terms of my role and what’s best for the team, I don’t think it would necessarily be helpful for me to go out and take one out,” he said. said. “So I’ll leave that up to the team. I just want to serve them well and serve this organization.”

Bradford said there hasn’t been much discussion about how the club might use him, but he is “up for anything”.

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