The Tampa Bay Rays appear set to bring back top pitching prospect Taj Bradley. Reports indicate that he'll start Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds and then he'll be positioned for a long-term spot in the rotation.
He's currently with the team in Cincinnati as part of the "taxi squad" which means that he's with the team but is not with the 26-man roster at this point.
Bradley made his major league debut against the Boston Red Sox last Wednesday, tossing five innings and getting the win, but was sent down afterwards.
Now, with the injury to Jeffrey Springs that will cost him multiple months of time, it appears Bradley is the answer.
Bradley is the team's overall number one prospect and is ranked No. 18 in baseball, per the MLB.com rankings.
For more on Bradley, from those prospect rankings:
"After experiencing a velocity bump in late 2020, the 6-foot-2 right-hander now throws 94-96 mph with his heater, touching 98, and he spots it well around the zone. He calls his best secondary pitch a cutter, and we’ll do the same, even though it could land in the slider territory. All the same, the mid-80s offering breaks late and plays well off the fastball. An 89-91 mph split-finger changeup doesn’t offer a ton of separation but has given Bradley another suitable fading option against lefties, while his mid-70s curve is more for show in early counts.
Bradley hasn’t averaged more than 2.7 BB/9 in any of his full-season stops, and his athletic delivery should continue to help keep him throwing strikes."
The Rays open the series with the Reds on Monday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
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