For this writer, the lowest point of the 2024 season was hearing the news that Kyle Bradish needed Tommy John surgery and would be out for the rest of the season. It took him 14 months to recover from the elbow surgery, but when he finally toed the rubber again in black and orange, Bradish looked fully capable of leading this Orioles rotation.
Setting reasonable expectations for Bradish’s 2025 season was nearly impossible. The first hurdle was getting fully healthy. Optimists thought Bradish might be able to make it back to Baltimore after the All-Star break, though his actual return to the majors came about a month later. Then there was the question of what Bradish would look like once he made it back to the active roster. Seeing flashes of his former dominance would have made 2025 a successful season; what Bradish actually gave the Orioles was even better.
The right-hander returned to Baltimore on August 26th, 2025, after spending 434 days on the IL due to his UCL tear. He came into that start against the Red Sox off a rocky rehab stint, having posted a 4.91 ERA with 25 Ks across 22 innings in six starts.
Those shaky rehab outing perhaps lowered what Orioles fans were expecting as Bradish faced off against a playoff-bound Boston team. Getting through four innings with four runs allowed would’ve been acceptable, but something about being in front of the Baltimore crowd seemed to energize Bradish. He punched out four of the first six Red Sox he faced, and just two innings into his return looked all the way back. He would give up a pair of solo home runs, the only blemishes on his line that night as he finished the evening with 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB and 10 K.
The real Kyle Bradish’s Two Ks in the 4th.
– Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja)
The fact that Bradish got through six innings in his first major league start back from Tommy John was impressive enough in it’s own right. The fact that he immediately bounced back to be the upper echelon strikeout pitcher was the silver lining that the dismal 2025 Orioles season needed.
In his remaining five starts, the former Top 5 Cy Young finished had varying levels of success as the O’s kept him on a reasonable pitch count. In his second outing, in a road game in San Diego, Bradish only lasted four innings after laboring through a particularly long 2nd inning where he allowed two runs on a two hits and two walks. The 29-year-old righty showed plenty of resistance against another playoff team, striking out four of the last six hitters he faced to post scoreless innings in the 3rd and 4th. After racking up five Ks over four innings on 84 pitches, Bradish had two straight starts with a 9+ K/9.
The Orioles’ former ace clearly grew stronger with each success start back with the big league club. In his third start back, the former New Mexico State Aggie tossed a gem against the Pirates, putting up a final line of 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB and 6 K. It was the only start of his six-game comeback tour when he didn’t put up more Ks than innings pitched, but he still managed to get 21 outs on only 81 pitches.
Source: Yahoo Sports
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