On Wednesday, starter Kyle Bradish of the Baltimore Orioles had Tommy John surgery, which will terminate his season. Reliever Danny Coulombe, meanwhile, will be out for a long time after undergoing elbow surgery.
The latest significant setback for the Orioles pitching staff, which has struggled with ailments all season, came from General Manager Mike Elias before Baltimore’s game against the New York Yankees.
Dr. Keith Meister, chief physician of the Rangers, implanted an internal brace in Bradish during a surgery in Texas. Last year, Bradish placed fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. That might minimize Bradish’s recuperation period before returning to the big league mound, which is generally 12 to 18 months for a starting pitcher after Tommy John surgery without an internal brace.
“A huge loss for us.” He’s a top-of-the-rotation pitcher,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We were hopeful that it wasn’t going to come to this, but unfortunately it has and we’re going to miss him.”
Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Dodgers’ top physician, removed bone chips from Coulombe’s throwing elbow on Tuesday in Los Angeles. The left-handed pitcher might rejoin the Orioles in September.
In 8 starts this season, Bradish has a 2-0 record with a 2.75 ERA. In 39⅓ innings, he struck out 53 batters and walked 15.
The 27-year-old righty didn’t make his season debut until May 2 due to a damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. He left his most recent game against Philadelphia last Friday after five innings and 74 pitches and was placed back on the 15-day injury list the following day.
“Kyle Bradish is an amazing warrior. And he probably didn’t show what he was going through, honestly, because he enjoys competing,” Hyde added. “He wants the ball, and he doesn’t want to leave the game. And he’s a really ferocious competitor. The makeup is as strong as any player I’ve had. So it’s unfortunate to lose him because of what he provides in so many ways.”
Elias said, “He was throwing brilliantly. It was quite stunning. That is not a simple task to do. I believe he would have continued throwing until his arm came off. He performed an excellent job. He helped us win games, and we’ll make up the difference for him.”
Bradish finished 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA in 30 starts last year, guiding the Orioles to the AL East crown in his second major league season. “It’s going to be a long road back,” Hyde said.
After 29 appearances in relief, Coulombe had a 1-0 record, 2.42 ERA, and a save. He has been on the 15-day IL for left elbow irritation since June 11, retroactive to June 9.
“We feel good that he’s probably going to be back with us at some point during the last part of the season,” Hyde told the team, “but he’s been a huge piece of our bullpen and we’re going to miss him the time he’s gone also.”
After leaving Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss with soreness in his left hip from a collision with star Yankee Juan Soto, third baseman Jordan Westburg was not in the starting lineup.
Ramón Urías began at third, although Elias said that Westburg is on the day-to-day list and unlikely to be hurt. He was undergoing treatment on Wednesday. “He is improved. He’s still really painful. “He was hit in a tough spot in the hip,” Hyde said.
Baltimore chose utilityman Nick Maton’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned outfielder Kyle Stowers to their top farm club. Tyler Wells, a right-hander who had right elbow UCL surgery, was placed on the 60-day injured list.
Wells, All-Star closer Félix Bautista and left-handed starter John Means are all out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Dean Kremer has been on the 15-day injured list since late May due to a right triceps injury, but he will make his second rehab start for Norfolk on Saturday, throwing around five innings and 75 pitches.
On Wednesday, the Orioles had the second-best record in the American League with 47-25, just 2½ games behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East, even though they had suffered injuries to many talented pitchers.
“We feel terrible for the guys that are hurt, but we’ve got to keep moving on,” Hyde told the crowd.
