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.

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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 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.

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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.

Bradish would follow that up with a start against the White Sox where he picked up his only win of the season after pitching five innings of one run ball on the South side of Chicago. Pitching in Guaranteed Rate Field was somewhat of a full circle for Bradish, as up until that point, the White Sox were the only team he had faced in both 2024 and 2025. The year prior, the Orioles’ righty pitched seven no-hit innings with 11 Ks. In 2025, he had to settle for nine strikeouts over five innings.

Baltimore’s once and future ace saved his best start for his final Camden Yards appearance of 2025. Facing off against the Yankees, Bradish befuddled the Bronx Bombers over six innings while only allowing four total base runners.

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In his first time through the order against the Yankees, Bradish only allowed two base runners on a single to No.4 hitter Ben Rice and a walk No. 9 hitter Ryan McMahon. His second time through the order, he was completely untouchable, setting down all nine Yankees hitters in a row while racking up six Ks. Whether it was sinkers that broke back across the zone, curveballs that dive bombed out of the zone, or sliders that left both sides of the plate waiving, Bradish hat his full arsenal working and it was a beautiful thing to behold.

The rehabbing righty finished his season an abbreviated outing in the Bronx as the starter of Game 162. Bradish would punch out eight Yankees over four innings, though he did give up a season-high five hits while allowing his third home run of the year. After 69 pitches that Sunday, interim manager Tony Mansolino decided to give Bradish a head start on the offseason after 32 innings over six outings.

Though it may be firmly stamped with the caveat of “small sample size,” Bradish’s return had all the markings of an ace returning to his true form. His 2.53 ERA and 1.03 WHIP would both be career highs. The 13.2 K/9 rate he racked up would not only be a career high, but would have lead the major leagues by almost two full Ks.

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Arsenal-wise, Bradish’s pitching approach was nearly identical to his game plan from the 2024 season. After being a slider-first pitcher throughout 2023, Bradish now establishes his plan of attack using his sinker. After a 40/30 sinker-slider split in 2024, he was back to an almost dead even distribution in 2025—throwing the sinker 33% of the time with the slider at 32%.

Perhaps due to a combination of poor results and avoiding undue stress on his elbow, Bradish’s curveball usage was at the lowest of his career in 2025—with his four seamer benefiting from that drop off. His velocity was also down across all of his pitches, something which you’d expect to tick up a MPH or two as he approaches two years removed from surgery.

A full season of a full-healthy Bradish would be a major boon for the 2026 Orioles. If both Bradish and Trevor Rogers can come close to replicating their 2025 performances, they give the O’s a top of the rotation duo that can go t0e-to-toe with pairs like Fried/Rodon, Gilbert/Woo and Gausman/Yesavage. While the Orioles will likely look to supplement the rotation with outside options, Bradish’s full return is a bigger boost than anything the free agent market can offer.