Orioles Expected To Be Aggressive After Kyle Bradish's Injury
The Baltimore Orioles got unfortunate news on Thursday as Kyle Bradish will begin the season on the IL with a UCL sprain. It's a tough start to a year that's expected to be an exciting one.
UCL injuries aren't what anyone wants to hear. If that gets worse and it becomes a tear, it would result in Bradish likely needing Tommy John surgery, which takes a year to recover from in most scenarios.
While the Orioles added Corbin Burnes in a massive trade heading into Spring Training, Bradish was expected to be one of the top three arms on their staff that could become one the best in baseball.
Now, It's going to take a team effort from Baltimore if they want the pitching staff to survive.
According to Ken Rosenthal on Foul Territory, he expects the Orioles to check in on available starting pitchers.
"I would expect that they would at least be checking in on some of the free agent starters still available."
He names Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger, and others as options to help them out.
Baltimore is going through a strange process right now with the official sale of the team not being finalized. It's uncertain how much of a factor this is playing in them not landing free agents or making moves.
There's a clear need for starting pitching, and if Bradish goes down for an extended period of time, it could change their season.
Last year's ace was great in 2023, posting a 2.83 ERA across 168 2/3 innings pitched. The hope is that this will be a small issue that he's dealing with and he recovers soon.
If not, the Orioles have a major problem on their hands as UCL injuries can be tricky and could land him on the shelf for a long time.
