Taj Bradley's 4-1 Start Ends With Pectoral Injury, Twins Scrambling to Replace Their Best Early Arm

The Minnesota Twins just lost one of their best stories this season. Right-hander Taj Bradley, who's been absolutely dealing through eight starts, hit the injured list Saturday with inflammation in his right pectoral muscle. The move is retroactive to Wednesday, the day after he struck out eight batters in six innings and picked up a win in an 11-3 victory at Washington.

This is a real blow for Minnesota's rotation. Bradley, 25, was 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA and had already punched out 52 batters through 47 innings this season. That kind of strikeout rate is exactly what you want from a young pitcher finding his groove early in the year. He'd also walked just 17 batters, showing some serious control for a guy still relatively new to the big league grind.

What Bradley Brings to the Twin Cities

Let's zoom out for a second. Bradley came to the Twins from Tampa Bay at the 2025 trade deadline in exchange for right-hander Griffin Jax. He's been with Minnesota and the Rays since 2023, and over his 83 career games (81 starts), he's posted a 23-28 record with a 4.64 ERA. That doesn't tell the whole story, though. What matters right now is that he was hot, he was helping Minnesota win, and now he's gone for at least 15 days.

The Fill-In Play

Minnesota recalled right-hander Travis Adams from Triple-A St. Paul to take Bradley's spot on the 26-man roster. Adams, 26, is 3-0 with a 9.00 ERA in five relief appearances this season at St. Paul. So the Twins are going from a guy who was dominating on the mound to a reliever who's still figuring things out at the Triple-A level. That's the kind of downgrade that stings when you're trying to keep your momentum going.

The calendar says it's still early, but in baseball, losing your hottest starter to injury is never something you want to see. Bradley was the kind of young arm you build around, and the Twins will need to figure out how to weather his absence.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.