Rangers' Bradford needs season-ending elbow surgery
Texas Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford will undergo season-ending elbow surgery Wednesday, president of baseball operations Chris Young announced Tuesday, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com.
It's not yet clear whether Bradford will require the internal bracing procedure or full-blown Tommy John surgery, according to Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports. That won't be determined until doctors can examine the extent of his ligament damage.
Depending on the type of elbow surgery he needs, Bradford could potentially miss the entire 2026 season as well. Typical recovery time following traditional Tommy John surgery, used to repair a fully torn ulnar collateral ligament, can range anywhere from 12-18 months.
Bradford hasn't pitched for the Rangers this season after he experienced elbow soreness in spring training. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list with a left elbow sprain in early April.
The Rangers were hoping he'd be ready to start a rehab assignment in the near future until Bradford felt elbow pain while throwing a recent bullpen. Further exams found he'd experienced a setback and required surgery, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
"As often happens, he passed the early stages of the rehab, but closer to game action, torque and stress ramps up. When he got to that level, it didn't go well," Young said, per Grant.
The 27-year-old was supposed to be a key member of Texas' rotation in 2025 after enjoying an abbreviated breakout campaign last summer. Bradford put up a 3.54 ERA, 3.59 FIP, and 1.01 WHIP along with 70 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 2024 despite missing half the season because of a back issue.
Bradford, who helped the Rangers win a World Series as a rookie in 2023, is under team control through the 2029 season.
The Rangers' rotation has been hit hard by injuries this year. Jon Gray hasn't pitched this season either after fracturing his wrist in spring training, while Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle both landed on the IL within the last month.