Kyle Bradish made a strong return last year, but what about the innings?

The right-hander has thrown just 71.1 MLB innings since 2024

The date July 24, 2025 was quite significant to the Orioles. For right-hander Kyle Bradish, 13 months and five days after Tommy John surgery he was back on a mound in a game.

It was at High-A Aberdeen at Ripken Stadium and he pitched just two innings. But it went well and the work to get back to the mound in Baltimore had taken a huge step.

Just over a month later, Bradish made his O’s 2025 debut allowing two runs in six innings on Aug. 26. He pitched well in six O’s starts, allowing one run three times and two runs three other times.

That night in Aberdeen Bradish touched 97 mph on his second pitch of the night

There is no question that Bradish is a top of rotation pitcher. Over his last 240 innings since 2023, when he was fourth in the AL Cy Young voting, he has 2.78 ERA and 3.03 FIP with a 1.046 WHIP allowing just 6.8 hits per nine, 0.7 homers and fanning 10.1 batters per nine.

But the TJ procedure impacted two seasons and he made eight starts in 2024 and six last year. That is 71 1/3 big league innings since 2024.

Bradish did throw 168 2/3 innings in 2023 and that could help his cause to build innings this coming season. But it could get tricky.

At his season-ending press conference, the O’s Mike Elias noted that the club would like to add more at the top of his rotation - a pursuit that is ongoing - but also noted that the O’s might have to be careful with Bradish in 2026.

“Yeah, I would like a strong front half of the rotation guy to go with those if we can, and we’ll be on the hunt for pitching improvements in that area and others. I think Bradish’s innings is something that we’re going to have to keep an eye on, but I do think there’s a way and a possibility to keep him up and running the full season in a responsible way next year,” Elias stated.

Already sounds like a plan is in place.

It might frustrate fans when they take such a good pitcher out of the game early some nights next year but it’s probably the most prudent play for a team that hopes he will be pitching into October.

Since 2023, Bradish’s ERA+ is a robust 146. Last year the Yankees’ Max Fried was at 142 and Boston’s Garrett Crochet 159.

Maybe in part due to the light innings loads, Bradish’s K per nine improved every year since 2023 going from 9.0 to 12.1 and 13.2.

During his strong full year of 2023, Bradish’s four-seam fastball averaged 94.5 mph and last year, in that small sample, he was at 94.4. In 2023, Bradish’s whiff rate on his slider was 36.4 and in 2025 it was 44.4. His curveball whiff rate, 36.1 then, was 45.5 last season.

Small sample but an impressive sample.

While it might be fair for O’s fans to wonder how left-hander Trevor Rogers can follow up his remarkable 2025 season, it seems that Bradish has established himself over those last 240 innings.

The O’s know what they have here. They just have to be careful with that talent and make sure they can keep him on the field when next season begins.