Taj Bradley Shows the Tampa Bay Rays What They Are Missing in 2025 Triple-A Debut

Bradley, 24, started the season with the Rays and recorded a 6-6 mark with a 4.61 ERA in 21 games, all starts. He pitched 111.1 innings and gave up 65 runs (57 earned) with 95 strikeouts and 44 walks.

In three seasons with Tampa Bay, Bradley has a record of 19-25 in 69 games (67 starts) and a 4.70 ERA. His ratio of strikeouts per nine innings has fallen from 11.1 as a rookie in 2023 to 10.0 in 2024 to 7.7 this season.

In the same vein, his strikeout-to-walk ratio has tumbled from 3.31 to 3.28 to 2.16.

What's next for Taj Bradley

It is not clear just what the Rays have planned for Bradley, but they now have an opening in the rotation. Late Wednesday, with less than a day to go until the MLB trade deadline, the Rays sent front-line starter Zack Littell to the Cincinnati Reds as part of a three-team trade.

The Rays received 28-year-old catcher Hunter Feduccia, who has spent most of the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, and right-hander Brian Van Belle, 28. In the minors since 2017, he has yet to make his major league debut.

At the time Bradley was optioned to Durham, here is what manager Kevin Cash had to say:

"Tough decision certainly, but we feel like it's best for him to get down there right now,'' Cash said. "He's got to get to work. We've talked about the two-pitch mix that he's been rolling out there a little and I think that it's probably a better environment there to work rather than compete every pitch.

"But know that Taj Bradley is massive to our success, and we need to get him back to the form that we know he's capable of.''