The Twins placed Bradley on the 15-day injured list Saturday with right pectoral inflammation, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Bradley allowed two earned runs while making it through six innings during his last outing against the Nationals on Tuesday, but he appears to have come away from his appearance with a pectoral injury. He'll be eligible to return from the IL ahead of the Twins' series opener against Boston on May 22, though it remains unknown whether the right-hander will be ready by then. Travis Adams was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to provide extra bullpen depth, but another move will likely be required before Bradley's spot in the rotation comes up Sunday.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Grabs fourth win Tuesday
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Bradley (4-1) earned the win Tuesday against the Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings.
Bradley had to battle early, needing 51 pitches just to get through the first two innings, but he settled in nicely afterward and dominated for long stretches. He retired 11 straight batters before Daylen Lile broke the run with a two-out double in the fifth inning. Bradley continues to provide reliable production, now allowing two or fewer runs in seven of his eight starts this season. The right-hander owns a 2.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB across 47 innings and is slated to face Cleveland in his next outing.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Strong outing wasted Wednesday
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Bradley came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out seven.
The right-hander racked up an impressive 35 called or swinging strikes among his 114 pitches (73 total strikes) en route to his fourth quality start of the season, but he left the mound with the game tied 2-2 and watched Minnesota's bullpen stumble late once again. It was Bradley's longest outing of the season, and he'll take a 2.85 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 44:15 K:BB through 41 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week against the Nationals.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Hit hard by former squad
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Bradley (3-1) took the loss Friday against the Rays, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three in 6.1 innings.
The volume of hits wasn't the issue for Bradley, who allowed just seven hits in his first start against the team that traded him away at last year's trade deadline. The problem was that four of them were home runs -- the first four long balls that the right-hander has allowed all year. In the end, it resulted in six earned runs allowed, more than doubling his total for the season. The 25-year-old still carries a very respectable 2.91 ERA in 34 innings on the season. His next scheduled start is set for Wednesday against the Mariners.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Shines in scoreless outing
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Bradley (1-0) earned the win Thursday against the Royals, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out three over six scoreless innings.
Bradley worked through a few early threats but managed to keep Kansas City off the board, showcasing his ability to pitch out of trouble. The right-hander's biggest moment came in the third inning, when he rebounded from a dropped foul popup by striking out Bobby Witt with a 100 mph fastball -- the hardest pitch thrown by a Twins starter in the pitch-tracking era -- to escape the jam. The 25-year-old righty was also efficient enough to reach the six-inning mark, tossing 65 of 100 pitches for strikes. Coming off a season in which he posted a 5.05 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 127 strikeouts over 142.2 innings, Bradley is off to a red-hot start to 2026 and continues to justify Minnesota's decision to acquire him from Tampa Bay at last year's trade deadline.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Strikes out nine over 4.1 innings
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Bradley allowed one run on three hits and three walks across 4.1 innings in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Orioles. He struck out nine.
Bradley won a spot in the Twins' rotation during spring training and continued racking up the strikeouts against Baltimore. His fastball remained up compared to 2025, as he averaged 97.4 mph in Saturday's outing compared to 96.2 mph from a season ago. However, walks remain an issue, contributing to Bradley being unable to get deep enough into the game to pick up the win. Bradley's next start should line up for Friday's home opener against his former team, the Rays.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Likely rotation candidate
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Bradley has a good chance of winning a rotation spot for the Twins, Matthew Leach of MLB.com surmises.
Bradley might have had an inside track at winning a job battle even before Pablo Lopez's elbow injury, but with three starting spots now open, the likelihood is even higher. Bradley is pitching in the World Baseball Classic, so some of his reps will be away from manager Derek Shelton's direct observations.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Fans nine in six impressive frames
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Bradley didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing one run on two hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out nine.
In what was his final scheduled appearance of the season, Bradley saved his best start since joining Minnesota for last. The nine strikeouts were his most since he fanned 10 during his June 1 outing in Houston as a member of the Rays, and Wednesday was the first time since July 18 that the right-hander fired at least six innings while conceding one run or zero. Bradley still struggled as a whole since landing with the Twins, turning in a 6.61 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 32:12 K:BB across 31.1 innings, so he may have to fight for a rotation spot next spring.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Rebounds with one-hit effort
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Bradley didn't factor into the decision against the Padres on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit and three walks while striking out six over five innings.
Bradley's second start with the Twins went remarkably better than his first, when he was tagged for seven earned runs in a loss to the White Sox. On Saturday, the right-hander allowed just one hit, a solo homer to Elias Diaz in the fifth, while striking out six. The effort served as an encouraging rebound and showed the potential swing-and-miss stuff Minnesota hoped to add when acquiring him at the trade deadline. Bradley will carry a 4.28 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 102:48 K:BB into his next scheduled start against the Royals, a favorable matchup given Kansas City's struggles against right-handers.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Set to start Saturday
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Bradley will start Saturday's game against the Padres in Minnesota, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Minnesota called up both Mick Abel and Taj Bradley from Triple-A St. Paul last week to make starts, but only Bradley will make a second turn through the rotation, as Abel was moved to the bullpen after the Twins got another starter in Simeon Woods Richardson back from the injured list earlier this week. Bradley struggled mightily in his Twins debut this past Sunday, surrendering seven earned runs on nine hits and one walk over five innings. Even with an improved showing against the Padres, Bradley may not be guaranteed any additional starts with the Twins. Pablo Lopez (shoulder) appears on track to return from the 60-day injured list and rejoin the big-league rotation next week, which could result in Bradley being bumped to the bullpen or sent back to Triple-A.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Called up to start Sunday
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The Twins recalled Bradley from Triple-A St. Paul ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox in Chicago.
Bradley will be making his Twins debut Sunday, three and a half weeks after he was acquired from the Rays. The 24-year-old righty has made three starts for St. Paul, turning in a bloated 7.53 ERA and 1.63 WHIP but a more promising 18:2 K:BB in 14.1 innings. Bradley has shown the ability to make bats miss at a prolific clip over parts of three seasons in the majors, though he took a big step back in that regard during his time with the Rays in 2025, with his strikeout rate dropping to a career-low 20.2 percent in 21 big-league starts.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Could make team debut this weekend
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Bradley could be called up from Triple-A St. Paul to start Sunday's game against the White Sox, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The Twins have yet to name starters for Saturday or Sunday, and it's possible those slots will be filled by Bradley and/or Mick Abel, both of whom Minnesota acquired ahead of the trade deadline. Since his acquisition, Bradley has pitched exclusively at St. Paul, with whom he's posted a 7.53 ERA but an 18:2 K:BB over his 14.1 innings. Before being traded away by Tampa Bay, Bradley submitted a 4.61 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 111.1 innings.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Looks sharp in Triple-A
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Bradley gave up one run over six innings with four strikeouts and no walks Wednesday for Triple-A St. Paul.
It was Bradley's first start in the Twins organization after he was acquired for Griffin Jax last Thursday. Despite trading for him, the Twins say they want to keep Bradley in the minors to work on some of his pitches. He'll likely be called up at some point this season, but it sounds like he'll make at least another start or two at Triple-A.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Staying at Triple-A
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Bradley will stay at Triple-A St. Paul after he was acquired from the Rays, as the Twins want him to continue to work on tweaking his pitches, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
The Twins don't have a clear fifth starter at the moment, so it's possible Bradley is called up to start Tuesday at Detroit. However, the Twins so far are saying he'll stay in the minors.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Traded to Twins
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Bradley was traded from the Rays to the Twins on Thursday in exchange for Griffin Jax, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The Twins traded all their high-leverage relievers and targeted controllable starting pitching in the form of Bradley, who had been working in the Rays' Triple-A rotation. Bradley, 24, had a 4.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 95:44 K:BB in 111.1 innings with the big club this season before being demoted just after the All-Star break.
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Rays' Taj Bradley: Officially optioned back to minors
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The Rays optioned Bradley to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.
Bradley has really struggled with consistency this season, most recently following up six shutout innings against the Orioles in his first start of the second half with a dud versus the White Sox on Wednesday, when he yielded four runs over just 1.2 frames. Overall, Bradley holds a 4.61 ERA across 21 starts, and his strikeout rate has dropped all the way to 20.2 percent. He'll try to get back on track at Durham and could receive another opportunity later this season. Joe Boyle is the likeliest option to take Bradley's spot in the Rays' rotation.
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Rays' Taj Bradley: Headed to minors
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The Rays will option Bradley to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The decision to send Bradley down to the minors comes after he allowed four earned runs in just 1.2 innings during Wednesday's loss to the White Sox. He now owns a 4.61 ERA and 1.28 WHIP following his poor showing, and the Rays will likely keep him in the minors until he shows some improvement on the mound. Joe Boyle figures to be the leading candidate to join the rotation from the bullpen, though the team hasn't officially named a replacement yet.
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Rays' Taj Bradley: Falls to Baltimore
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Bradley (5-6) took the loss Sunday against the Orioles, allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk across 5.1 innings. He struck out two.
Bradley held the Orioles to just one run through his first four innings, but he'd unravel late, giving up four runs over his final 1.1 frames. Bradley's had a tough time against Baltimore this year -- he's allowed 11 runs in just 6.2 innings in two starts against the O's. Overall, the right-hander sports a 4.79 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 79:36 K:BB across 17 starts (92 innings) this season. Bradley will look to get back on track in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week in Minnesota.
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Rays' Taj Bradley: Crushed by Orioles
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Bradley allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out two across 1.1 innings Wednesday against the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.
Bradley made it through the first inning with relative ease, but his start spiraled out of control in the second frame. He allowed six of the first eight batters he faced to reach base -- and one additional reached via error -- including a pair of home runs before being removed from the outing. Bradley is in the midst of a disastrous stretch, as he's allowed 19 total runs across his three starts and 9.1 innings, although only 13 of those have been earned. The lone positive from his outing Wednesday was the fact that the Rays rallied to win, so Bradley wasn't charged with a loss.
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Rays' Taj Bradley: Fans five in no-decision
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Bradley took a no-decision Friday against the Mets, giving up five runs (none earned) on four hits and four walks in four innings. He struck out five.
Bradley lost the plate in the fifth inning, seeing four consecutive batters reach base before being pulled from the game, but none of his runs allowed were earned due to a pair of fielding errors. The four walks matched a season high for the right-hander, but he has managed to keep the hits down in 2025 by allowing five or fewer on 10 occasions among 14 starts. Overall, Bradley owns a respectable 4.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 71:33 K:BB over 78.2 innings ahead of his next scheduled outing versus the Orioles.
