Bradford didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Giants, allowing five hits and two walks over 4.1 scoreless innings. He struck out five.
After missing the entire 2025 season while recovering from an elbow injury that required an internal brace procedure that June, Bradford was brought along slowly after some renewed soreness in April and finally began ramping back up in July before being activated from the IL on Wednesday. He looked sharp in his season debut, albeit against a vulnerable opponent, and Bradford tossed 50 of 70 pitches for strikes before being lifted. The Rangers will also get Jordan Montgomery (elbow) back later this month, and Jack Leiter (ankle) could return in September, but Bradford made a strong early case to stick in the rotation. He'll look to get stretched out enough to pick up his first MLB win since Sept. 18, 2024 in his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week against the Angels.