A difficult season for the Minnesota Twins is now even tougher with pitcher Taj Bradley going on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right pectoral muscle.
Bradley, 25, had been Minnesota’s lone pitching standout, compiling a 2.87 ERA and 4-1 record in his first eight starts. He has 52 strikeouts in 47 innings, providing swing-and-miss stuff not typically seen on the Twins’ staff.
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In his second start of the season while facing the Kansas City Royals, Bradley became the first Twins pitcher to hit 100 mph on the radar gun since pitch tracking began in 2008.
The right-hander became the latest Minnesota pitcher to be sidelined, joining Mick Abel (right elbow inflammation) and Pablo López (Tommy John surgery). Joe Ryan left his previous start with right elbow soreness after facing just two batters, but he is scheduled to start Saturday versus the Cleveland Guardians.
Travis Adams was called up from Triple-A to fill Bradley’s spot on the major-league roster.
In three starts and five appearances for St. Paul, Adams compiled a 9.00 ERA, allowing six runs and nine hits in six innings since recovering from a right triceps strain to begin the season. He appeared in 18 games for the Twins last season, finishing with a 7.75 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 39 hits allowed in 33 2/3 innings.
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Previously in his MLB career, Bradley went on the IL with a similar injury. When he pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024, a right pectoral strain kept him out for a month. However, he returned and finished the season with 25 starts and 138 innings.
Bradley is in his first full season with the Twins after being acquired from the Rays at last season’s trade deadline for reliever Griffin Jax.
With a 16-23 record going into Saturday, the Twins are last in the AL Central, 4.5 games behind the first-place Guardians. Minnesota has lost three consecutive games and seven of their past 10, resulting in the American League’s second-worst mark.
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