Taj Bradley's Pectoral Injury Puts Minnesota's Best Arm on the Shelf Right When It Matters Most

The Minnesota Twins just lost one of their hottest pitchers to a pectoral muscle injury, and the timing couldn't be worse. Right-hander Taj Bradley landed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with inflammation in his right pectoral muscle, a move made retroactive to Wednesday. For context: Bradley had just struck out eight batters in six innings and picked up a win in an 11-3 victory at Washington the day before. Yeah, that kind of timing.

Bradley Was Rolling Before the Injury

The 25-year-old was having himself a season. Through eight starts, Bradley sits at 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA. He's struck out 52 batters and walked only 17 across 47 innings. That's the kind of early-season performance that makes you think a young arm is finally putting it together at the big league level. For a Twins rotation that needs consistent depth, this is a gut punch.

The Long-Term Picture

Bradley came to Minnesota from Tampa Bay at the 2025 trade deadline, dealt for right-hander Griffin Jax. In his career with the Rays and Twins combined, he's 23-28 with a 4.64 ERA across 83 games, 81 of which were starts. The guy's got the stuff, and these eight games this season showed what he could be when healthy.

To fill the roster spot, the Twins recalled right-hander Travis Adams from Triple-A St. Paul. Adams, 26, comes in with a 3-0 record and a 9.00 ERA in five relief appearances this season at St. Paul. Not exactly the same firepower, but that's what the depth system is for when injuries happen.

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