Taj Bradley Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 2" / 190 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 3/20/2001 (22)
- Experience
- 0
- College
- None
Taj Bradley Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Taj Bradley News
The Tampa Bay Rays are calling starting pitcher Taj Bradley back up from Triple-A Durham for Sunday's start against the Cleveland Guardians. The 22-year-old was sent down in late July after following up an encouraging beginning to the year with a miserable 9.12 ERA covering his six latest big-league starts. Bradley will have a shot to solidify a rotation spot with Shane McClanahan (forearm) and several other Rays starters out for the year. The rookie is still honing his pitch location, but Bradley's 30% strikeout rate over 74 2/3 innings in the majors this year presents plenty of bat-missing upside. Cleveland strikes out at a lower clip than any team in MLB, but they also hit for the least amount of power. Season-long fantasy managers might want to take a wait-and-see approach, but Bradley is an intriguing DFS option on Sunday.
The Tampa Bay Rays optioned right-handed rookie Taj Bradley to Triple-A Durham on Monday and recalled right-hander Ryan Thompson from Durham in a corresponding move. The Rays didn't need Bradley in the big-league starting rotation after they acquired right-hander Aaron Civale in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians on Monday. The 22-year-old Bradley will surely be back with Tampa at some point later this year, but he could stand to go back to the farm and work on some things. He really struggled in five July starts, going 0-3 while allowing 19 earned runs on 27 hits (five homers) while walking 10 and striking out 26 in 21 2/3 innings. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can probably look for other options for the time being.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley earned the win on Wednesday when he allowed one run on three hits with eight strikeouts over six innings in a 7-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Bradley didn't issue a free pass in this one, either, as the Orioles had no answer for him. The only blemish on his line was a Ramon Urias solo home run in the top of the third inning. This outing marks the first time all season that Bradley has gone six innings as well, giving him his first quality start. The talented 22-year-old will take a 5-3 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 71:15 K/BB ratio over 49 innings (10 starts) into his next turn against the Diamondbacks on the road.
Batting Order
| 1 | Yandy Díaz |
| 2 | Randy Arozarena |
| 3 | Harold Ramírez |
| 4 | Josh Lowe |
| 5 | Isaac Paredes |
| 6 | Manuel Margot |
| 7 | Curtis Mead |
| 8 | Taylor Walls |
| 9 | René Pinto |
Taj Bradley Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
| 1 | Yandy Díaz |
| 2 | Randy Arozarena |
| 3 | Harold Ramírez |
| 4 | Josh Lowe |
| 5 | Isaac Paredes |
| 6 | Manuel Margot |
| 7 | Curtis Mead |
| 8 | Taylor Walls |
| 9 | René Pinto |
Tampa Bay Rays right-handed starting pitching prospect Taj Bradley should make his major league debut in 2023. Following his 2021 breakout, the 21-year-old continued to impress in 2022. Over 28 minor league starts in 2022, including 12 at Triple-A, Bradley posted a 2.57 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and 141 strikeouts against just 33 walks in 133 1/3 innings pitched. Bradley also held opposing batters to just a .213 average in his fourth season in professional ball. Over 73 career minor league appearances (70 starts), Bradley owns an impressive 2.61 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. The top Rays prospect and 20th-ranked MLB prospect (per MLB Pipeline) will likely begin in 2023 at Triple-A. Despite his overall 2022 numbers, Bradley only managed a 3.66 ERA at Triple-A Durham in comparison to a 1.70 ERA at Double-A Montgomery. As a result, the Rays will most likely want Bradley to get some additional work in at Durham before his eventual promotion. Bradley projects as a number one starting pitcher who offers an overpowering four-seam fastball that sits between 94-96 mph. He also throws a plus mid-80s slider that Bradley refers to as a cutter. If Bradley can perform early on at Triple-A in 2023, he may see the big leagues sooner than a late-season cup of coffee. With an ADP of 629, managers in deep mixed and AL-only redraft formats could do worse than a late-round flyer on Bradley hoping for a June promotion. There is real potential for Bradley to be a fantasy contributor in 2023, unlike other like-starting pitching prospects, given the Rays' history of promoting deserving talent.
