NEW YORK — Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish had Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery with an internal brace Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the season, Orioles general manager Mike Elias announced.
The recovery time is between 12-18 months.
Bradish was one of the best pitchers in MLB last year, finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting, ending the year with a 2.83 ERA and starting Game 1 of the American League Division Series for the Orioles. It’s another huge blow for an Orioles rotation that has now lost three starters to season-ending elbow surgery this month.
“Kyle is an enormous talent and an enormous part of the team,” Elias said. “This guy is really a tough hombre. ... We were marveling at how well he was pitching with it. He gave us everything we had. We are going to miss him. We are going to take really good care of him and get him back to full strength with everything in our power.”
The bullpen is also feeling the strain of elbow injuries, as reliever Danny Coulombe will also miss significant time. He had bone chips removed from his left elbow on Monday, though the team thinks he can return in September, Elias said.
“We are very hopeful we can get him back in the regular season this year,” Elias said. “We can’t wait to get him back, hopefully at full strength with this injury behind him.”
Bradish’s elbow was bothering him in his start last Friday and he left after five innings. He was diagnosed with a UCL sprain the next day.
It’s the same injury that landed the righty on the injured list to start the season. Bradish and team officials discussed having Tommy John surgery performed in the offseason when the elbow first flared up, but opted to go with a platelet-rich plasma injection instead.
“If you have UCL damage, it’s hard to have a conversation about that without that question coming up,” Elias said. “At no time in that timeframe was anyone seriously considering it based on the way he responded and the particulars of the case and what Kyle said he wanted to do.”
The PRP injection did its job — for a bit. Bradish started his season a month late and made eight starts, pitching to a 2.75 ERA before he exited his last start.
“He probably didn’t let on what he was pitching through, honestly, because he loves to compete,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He wants the ball, he does not want to come out of the game. He’s just a fierce, fierce competitor. I love the makeup, he’s as tough as any player I’ve had. It sucks to lose him because what he brings in so many ways. He was really disappointed that night that he had to come out of that game.”
Bradish is one of four Orioles starters on the injured list and five total who have spent time out this season. John Means and Tyler Wells both had season-ending elbow surgeries this month. Dean Kremer, out since May 24 with a right triceps strain, made his first rehab start on Sunday. He will have another rehab start Saturday and is expected to pitch about five innings and throw 75 pitches. The team will evaluate him after that outing.
That makes Corbin Burnes and Cole Irvin as the only members of the Orioles’ opening day rotation to avoid the injured list so far. Albert Suárez, Cade Povich and Grayson Rodriguez round out the current group.
With the trade deadline a little over a month away, the Orioles could use prospects from the No. 1 farm system in the league to acquire pitching.
“We’re looking at the whole picture when it comes to the trade deadline,” Elias said. “Where our team is at, where our health is at, where we can upgrade, what the market looks like. Which teams are selling, what are they asking for. It’s so complicated and it’s hard for me to make sweeping statements about it, especially in June.”
Coulombe was placed on the injured list on June 11 with left elbow inflammation. His elbow, he said at the time, had never felt that way and he wasn’t sure what was wrong. Coulombe, in his final year of team control, has a club option for 2025.
His absence in the bullpen has already been felt, as he was one of the Orioles’ most trusted relievers and often filled high-leverage roles. Coulombe has been one of MLB’s best left-handed relievers this season, holding down a 2.42 ERA with 0.62 WHIP. Without him, the Orioles have had to rely on fellow southpaws Cionel Pérez, Keegan Akin and Nick Vespi.
