Will Bradish pitch for the Orioles this season?

[Frobby]

Obviously, nobody here knows exactly how bad the Bradish situation will turn out to be.  So this poll is just to gauge the degree of pessimism or optimism that people have based on what we know at this juncture.  

Elias says he expects Bradish to return, but hasn’t specified a timetable.  Bradish is supposed to begin a throwing program tomorrow, so I imagine we’ll have a better idea in a few weeks.  Recall that Felix Bautista started doing some throwing on September 8 last year and it was announced on Sept. 30 that he would have TJ surgery.   To hear Elias tell it, the case for Bautista to have surgery was much more clear than in this situation.  

So what do you think?   Will Bradish return in 2024, and when?  Notice my question is whether he’ll pitch “for the Orioles” —  I’m not interested in whether he’ll pitch in some minor league rehab games.  

 

[dystopia]

Putting on my orange colored glasses and saying yes. Prepared for letdown. 

[Tony-OH]

Where's the option, of yes, he'll show up for a start or two in June, get shut back down, try to rehab, but eventually get surgery in September so he misses all of 2025 too? That's where my optimism is after today's kick in the nuts news.

[Moshagge3]

The one shred of hope I'm clinging to is that if Elias really thought that surgery was >90% likely he wouldn't let Bradish wait this long before getting it. By waiting they're jeopardizing a good chunk of 2025.

[oriole]

4 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Where's the option, of yes, he'll show up for a start or two in June, get shut back down, try to rehab, but eventually get surgery in September so he misses all of 2025 too? That's where my optimism is after today's kick in the nuts news.

This is where I’m at as well, but I selected “No” because I think he’ll be shut down before his rehab stint is over. I dunno if I’m just being a pessimist but it feels like Tommy John is an inevitability. It’d be cool if they could just do it now so he can be back sometime next year. But I think he’s likely to miss this year and next unfortunately 

[Sports Guy]

12 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Where's the option, of yes, he'll show up for a start or two in June, get shut back down, try to rehab, but eventually get surgery in September so he misses all of 2025 too? That's where my optimism is after today's kick in the nuts news.

Yep..which is why you just look to get this done as soon as possible.

Now of course you go out and have him throw and see how things are a month from now.

If he has the surgery, he’s basically not really back until 2026 and can’t “go all out” until 2027.

They will save a lot of money since he’s a super 2 guy. That’s probably the only positive.

Edited February 15 by Sports Guy

[HowAboutThat]

45 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Where's the option, of yes, he'll show up for a start or two in June, get shut back down, try to rehab, but eventually get surgery in September so he misses all of 2025 too? That's where my optimism is after today's kick in the nuts news.

 That’s where I am. I think he’s going to come back, pitch from 1 to 9 innings, complain of a “twinge” and the rest, as they say, will be history.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

49 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Where's the option, of yes, he'll show up for a start or two in June, get shut back down, try to rehab, but eventually get surgery in September so he misses all of 2025 too? That's where my optimism is after today's kick in the nuts news.

This is my concern that they will end up wasting two years in an attempt to get Bradish ready to pitch this season.  If Tommy John surgery starts to get discussed as an option then it’s better to get it done sooner rather than later. 

[Ripken]

56 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Where's the option, of yes, he'll show up for a start or two in June, get shut back down, try to rehab, but eventually get surgery in September so he misses all of 2025 too? That's where my optimism is after today's kick in the nuts news.

Yeah, it's clearly this one.  He's not only screwed this season but next, too.  The Burnes get looks like a replacement now more than an improvement.  Elias still needs to do more, which is familiar territory.

[Orioles West]

I voted for that optimistic All-Star Break scenario and a hope he beats the odds and helps the team for the second half.

Elias seems more optimistic than I do, because it sure seems like the team should be pushing hard for pitching help instead of sitting back and hoping to make a run with the staff as is.

[Jim'sKid26]

The most significant element in this discussion is not available to anyone but Bradish, his physician and the folks in the O's front office who have access to his medical information. What is the degree of injury to his UCL and surrounding tissue? The fact that they are starting a throwing program early after a PRP injections implies a strain that is either grade I or II. PRP is not effective and therefore not used on Grade IV strain/tears. Most Grade III tear/strains require extensive rest and usually end up with operative treatment. 

If he has a grade I or II strain, PRP and a rehab program can deliver good results without surgery. I know there is a lot of doom and gloom on the board today but it may be a bit premature. Here's a quote from a recent journal article:

"Ultrasound-guided UCL PRP injection, a minimally invasive technique, has gained traction due to its potential to facilitate tissue healing and repair. PRP has demonstrated success in returning pitchers to throwing quickly and successfully 73-96% of the time following medium-grade UCL tears or UCL insufficiency. In prior studies, use of PRP to treat partial tears resulted in an 88% success rate in returning athletes to play after an average of 12 weeks."

Ref:

1) Mills FB 4th, Misra AK, Goyeneche N, Hackel JG, Andrews JR, Joyner PW: Return to play after platelet-rich plasma injection for elbow UCL injury: outcomes based on injury severity. Orthop J Sports Med. 2021, 9:2325967121991135. 10.1177/2325967121991135

Case study: 

https://www.cureus.com/articles/213637-from-dugout-to-the-mound-a-tale-of-platelet-rich-performance#!/

[Frobby]

12 minutes ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

The most significant element in this discussion is not available to anyone but Bradish, his physician and the folks in the O's front office who have access to his medical information. What is the degree of injury to his UCL and surrounding tissue? The fact that they are starting a throwing program early after a PRP injections implies a strain that is either grade I or II. PRP is not effective and therefore not used on Grade IV strain/tears. Most Grade III tear/strains require extensive rest and usually end up with operative treatment. 

If he has a grade I or II strain, PRP and a rehab program can deliver good results without surgery. I know there is a lot of doom and gloom on the board today but it may be a bit premature. Here's a quote from a recent journal article:

"Ultrasound-guided UCL PRP injection, a minimally invasive technique, has gained traction due to its potential to facilitate tissue healing and repair. PRP has demonstrated success in returning pitchers to throwing quickly and successfully 73-96% of the time following medium-grade UCL tears or UCL insufficiency. In prior studies, use of PRP to treat partial tears resulted in an 88% success rate in returning athletes to play after an average of 12 weeks."

Ref:

1) Mills FB 4th, Misra AK, Goyeneche N, Hackel JG, Andrews JR, Joyner PW: Return to play after platelet-rich plasma injection for elbow UCL injury: outcomes based on injury severity. Orthop J Sports Med. 2021, 9:2325967121991135. 10.1177/2325967121991135

Case study: 

https://www.cureus.com/articles/213637-from-dugout-to-the-mound-a-tale-of-platelet-rich-performance#!/

This made me feel considerably more optimistic.  

[Billy F-Face3]

I can't answer this. I'm not a doctor. I just play one on TV.

...And act like one when my girlfriend wants to vent about her problems.

[Orioles0615]

1 hour ago, Moshagge3 said:

The one shred of hope I'm clinging to is that if Elias really thought that surgery was >90% likely he wouldn't let Bradish wait this long before getting it. By waiting they're jeopardizing a good chunk of 2025.

My concern is like someone mentioned in another threa he know about this before trading for Burnes and then said they are probably done adding 

[Moshagge3]

4 minutes ago, Orioles0615 said:

My concern is like someone mentioned in another threa he know about this before trading for Burnes and then said they are probably done adding 

If Elias was resigned to Burnes essentially replacing Bradish for all of 2024, he would have pushed Bradish into the operating room ASAP because they don't have a 2025 replacement.