ABERDEEN, Md. -- The fastball was consistently hitting 96 mph -- and even once touching 97 -- on the Ripken Stadium gun. The cool, calm and confident demeanor of the right-handed pitcher toeing the rubber was unmistakable.
Kyle Bradish was back.
For the first time since June 14, 2024, Bradish took the mound for a start on Thursday night, making a rehab appearance for High-A Aberdeen. It marked a major step in the recovery of the 28-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery a little more than 13 months ago.
Bradish tossed two innings against Winston-Salem, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk while striking out four. But the numbers are less important during rehab outings than how the stuff looks.
And Bradish’s stuff looked great.
“It’s still going to be getting comfortable with it, but ultimately, what he showed is kind of more back to his normal stuff of what he’s had previously, and so, it’s pretty cool to see what he did,” Aberdeen manager Ryan Goll said. “He just attacked the hitters.”
If there were any nerves about a return to game action, Bradish didn’t show them in the first inning. He worked a 1-2-3 frame on nine pitches (six strikes), mowing down the three hitters.
Bradish’s first pitch of the night was a 92 mph fastball put in play by Samuel Zavala, who grounded out to second base. Then, Bradish immediately dialed it up, as his first pitch to the next batter (Jeral Perez) was a 97 mph ball -- his fastest pitch of the outing.
Over the pair of innings, Bradish’s fastball velocity was sitting around 94-96 mph. His offspeed offerings were tremendous. Six of his seven whiffs came on breaking pitches in the second, and his slider may have been his best pitch.
The biggest takeaway from the 37-pitch performance was that Bradish looked like himself. It’s an encouraging sign for the Orioles, who have greatly missed the righty while their rotation has pitched to a 5.15 ERA this season (29th in MLB).
“He looked good, and he felt good,” Goll said.
This wasn’t the first time Goll watched Bradish pitch live. Goll joined the organization as Baltimore’s player development intern in 2020, so he spent time with Bradish at the alternate training site during the pandemic-shortened season. Goll was also Double-A Chesapeake’s development coach in ‘23 and saw Bradish make a rehab start there.
“It was fun to see him back out there with some of his quality stuff that he’s always had,” Goll said. “It was awesome to see, and he brought the energy for the team.”
When Bradish is at his best, he has the potential to be among the best hurlers in baseball. That was the case in 2023, when he recorded a 2.83 ERA over 30 starts and finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting.
After opening the 2024 season on the injured list due to his right UCL sprain -- an injury that necessitated a platelet-rich plasma injection and eventually led to Tommy John -- Bradish posted a 2.75 ERA in eight starts and showed no signs he may not be at full strength. He then watched as the O’s seized an AL Wild Card berth and reached the postseason for a second consecutive year.
Bradish had been throwing live batting practice at the Orioles’ complex in Sarasota, Fla., for much of July. His final one of those sessions came last Saturday, when several Baltimore pitching coaches attended and told interim manager Tony Mansolino that Bradish’s stuff “was coming out hot.”
Now that Bradish’s rehab assignment is underway, he will likely make multiple more starts -- potentially even a handful -- before returning to the big leagues. Once he’s back, the Orioles’ rotation could look quite different.
The July 31 Trade Deadline is approaching, and the O’s (45-57) should be operating as sellers. Starters such as Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano are among the players on expiring contracts who could be dealt.
Because Baltimore is so far out of the postseason race, Bradish won’t be entering a pennant chase when he gets reinstated in mid-to-late August. But those outings will still be important, as he figures to be a key part of the rotation in 2026, when the club plans to return to contention.
“He’s doing a great job,” Mansolino recently said of Bradish’s recovery process. “He’s a really important part of this organization.”