The Rangers got a timely boost Wednesday, reinstating left-hander Cody Bradford from the 60-day injured list and lining him up to start that night against the Giants.
Bradford has spent the entire season on the shelf while coming back from an internal brace procedure on his left elbow that was done late last June. The recovery has stretched out to a little more than 13 months, but Texas finally has him back on the active roster. The club had an open spot on the 40-man roster already, and the move to make room on the active side came when MacKenzie Gore was placed on the paternity list.
For Texas, Bradford’s return adds a pitcher who showed real promise before the injury stopped his momentum. After a quiet rookie year in 2024, he put together 76 1/3 innings of 3.54 ERA ball last season. The 28-year-old lefty paired that with a strikeout rate of 22.7% and a sharp 4.2% walk rate, giving the Rangers a starter who missed bats and avoided free passes.
The club plans to ease him back into the mix as a starter, at least for now. Bradford’s rehab assignment built gradually, with outings of one inning, then two, then three and finally four. Over his final nine rehab innings, he didn’t allow a run or issue a walk, and he struck out 15 batters.
His return gives Texas another option in a rotation that has been leaning on Gore, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Kumar Rocker and Cal Quantrill since Jack Leiter needed ankle surgery earlier this summer. Bradford’s arrival could send Quantrill back into the swing role he filled for most of the year.
There may be more help coming soon, too. Jordan Montgomery threw 86 pitches over five shutout innings on Sunday, a line that could mark his final minor league rehab outing.
In Other News...
Ron Washingtons Return Reminds Rangers Fans Why He Still Means So Much
Ron Washingtons return to Arlington carried more than the usual reunion feel for Rangers fans who still remember the energy he brought to the dugout. Now the infield coach for the Giants, Washington has remained a familiar baseball presence, and his long run in the game includes steering Texas to two World Series appearances before later joining the Braves for their 2021 title run.
Washington also opened up about something more personal during the visit, discussing his recovery after quadruple bypass heart surgery and his continued drive to stay in coaching. For Rangers fans, it was a reminder that his impact in Texas was never just about wins and losses, and the sight of him back around the ballpark brought with it the kind of respect that tends to linger long after a manager moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rangers Keep Stealing The Deadline Spotlight
The Rangers did their own deadline business by adding Logan O'Hoppe and Chase Silseth while sending Angel Arredondo, Josh Smith and Josh Stephan elsewhere, but the ripple effect around the league kept pulling former Texas names back into the conversation. Deadline week has a way of turning old roster decisions into fresh reminders of how many ex-Rangers are still circulating through contender and rebuild talks.
Nathaniel Lowe, Kirby Yates and Tyler Mahle all surfaced in separate moves involving other clubs, giving Texas followers a familiar cast of players to track even after they had moved on. Lowe went from the Reds to the Guardians, Yates left the Angels for the Pirates and Mahle moved from the Giants to the Braves, the kind of deadline overlap that makes the Rangers feel connected to just about every corner of the trade market. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers See Something In Logan OHoppe The Angels Never Found
Logan OHoppes move from the Angels to the Rangers was always going to come with a reset, but Texas wasted little time making clear it sees him as more than a depth piece. The catcher now lands in a new organization that believes it can help unlock the version of him it thinks is still in there, and OHoppe has sounded receptive to the change after reflecting on both his struggles and his time in Los Angeles.
What the Rangers do next matters because their interest in OHoppe goes beyond a short-term roster move. He is being viewed as part of the catching picture moving forward, and the club has already put a plan in place for how it wants to help him improve, a sign that this is about development as much as opportunity. For OHoppe, the appeal is obvious: a fresh start, a clearer path, and a team convinced it can get him back on track. [Read more 🡒]