Cody Bradford DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford tossed five innings of one-run ball in Saturday's 9-4 win over the Yankees in Game 2 of their doubleheader, outdueling ace Gerrit Cole. Bradford allowed five hits and no walks while striking out seven, picking up his fourth win of the season. Bradford hadn't been effective in his first two starts off the IL, but the 26-year-old was 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, and a 21.1% K-BB% in his three starts earlier in the year. If he is getting back to that type of form, the southpaw could be a valuable waiver wire add heading into the final stretch of the season. His next start lines up at home against Minnesota next weekend.

Texas Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford (back, rib) threw on flat ground on Sunday. He originally landed on the injured list with a lower-back strain after he was unable to throw a bullpen session between starts. The original plan was for Bradford to miss the minimum 15 days, but after further evaluations, doctors found a "very small" stress fracture on the 12th rib on the right side, according to manager Bruce Bochy. Before his injury, the 26-year-old southpaw was the team's best starter, having gone 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA over three starts. Bradford's recovery has been slower than expected, but Bochy said he's starting to get over the hump. He won't be eligible to return for a couple more weeks now that he was moved to the 60-day IL last week.

The Texas Rangers transferred starting pitcher Cody Bradford (back/rib) to the 60-day injured list on Thursday. Not much of a surprise here, as Bradford said on Sunday that he was shut down from throwing again because he wasn't recovering quickly enough between sessions. The 26-year-old upstart left-hander had gone 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 0.62 WHIP while striking out 17 and walking just two over three starts (19 1/3 innings) out of Texas' rotation before going down, ranking among the American League's leaders in wins, opponent average, and ERA at the time of his injury, but he's becoming a tougher stash in fantasy without a clear timeline for a return. With six starters now sitting on the shelf, the Rangers will have to dig into their bullpen as well as their farm system for pitching help until they get healthier.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford (back, rib) threw on flat ground on Monday. Bradford is progressing from both a lower-back strain as well as a stress fracture on his rib, but he still has several hurdles to clear in his throwing program before rejoining Texas' injury-riddled rotation. There's still a chance at a return before the end of May for Bradford, but he'll likely require at least one minor-league rehab appearance before doing so. The 26-year-old upstart left-hander was returning first-round fantasy value before hitting the injured list, garnering a 1.40 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, and 17:2 K:BB with wins in each of his three starts (19 1/3 innings) this year, so he's well worth a stash in all leagues. Top prospect Jack Leiter is one of the names filling in for the Rangers at the moment, but he's given up 11 runs in 7 2/3 innings (two starts) and will be hard to trust in Tuesday's home start versus the Cleveland Guardians.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford (ribs) doesn't appear any closer to getting back on the mound. On Friday, Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy said Bradford is dealing with a stress fracture in his rib. The 26-year-old was originally placed on the injured list with back soreness, but it appears to be his rib instead. The organization says Bradford is likely to miss at least a month of action. It's uncertain if there will still be a spot in the rotation available once Bradford is ready to pitch again.