Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford (ribs) doesn't appear any closer to getting back on the mound. On Friday, Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy said Bradford is dealing with a stress fracture in his rib. The 26-year-old was originally placed on the injured list with back soreness, but it appears to be his rib instead. The organization says Bradford is likely to miss at least a month of action. It's uncertain if there will still be a spot in the rotation available once Bradford is ready to pitch again.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford (back) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday. It appears the left-hander picked up a lower back injury at some point during Wednesday's start. This is a shame considering Bradford has pitched well to start the season. Now, the young southpaw is looking at missing at least two weeks of action. In a corresponding move, right-hander Cole Winn has been recalled from Triple-A. The expectation is that Winn will take the spot in the rotation. Fantasy managers should hold Bradford through this injury considering how well he has looked early on this season.

It sounds like Texas Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford is going to stick around in the team's starting rotation. "You throw like that, you're not going anywhere," manager Bruce Bochy said. It means that right-hander Michael Lorenzen might have to start the year in Texas' bullpen as a long man once he gets his arm up to speed after signing late in spring training. The 26-year-old Bradford has been outstanding as a rotation fill-in in his first three starts against the Cubs, Astros and A's, allowing only four runs (three earned) on 10 hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out 17 in 19 1/3 frames. Meanwhile, Lorenzen has given up eight runs with 13 K's and nine walks in his three minor-league rehab starts for Triple-A Round Rock. Bradford has pitched well enough to warrant an early season waiver-wire pickup in fantasy leagues.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford continued his unlikely emergence with another impressive start on Wednesday, hurling 6 2/3 strong innings and logging a win during the 6-2 victory over the visiting Oakland Athletics. Bradford ran into some trouble by giving up a run in the first inning, but he settled in to allow just three more hits and one walk from that point on. The 26-year-old soft-throwing southpaw has been a revelation for the defending-champion Rangers in the early goings, featuring a 1.40 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, and 17:2 K:BB covering 19 1/3 frames. With Jacob deGrom (elbow) and Max Scherzer (back) sidelined for the foreseeable future, Bradford should stick in Texas' rotation until the two aces are ready to return in 2024. Feel free to continue riding the hot hand with Bradford in fantasy, as his next start is set to come against an uninspiring Detroit Tigers offense on Monday.

Texas Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford will begin the season in the starting rotation, according to general manager Chris Young. Young added that the team isn't likely to add to its staff, seemingly ruling out bringing back left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Bradford made eight starts and appeared in 20 games for the Rangers in the 2023 season, working to a 5.30 ERA in that time. However, he also posted a much better 4.14 SIERA while he put forth a healthy 16.7% K-BB% on the back of a tiny 5.1% BB%. He won't provide big strikeout numbers but he has a history of excellent control throughout his minor-league career. He remains a low-end fantasy option even as part of a quality Rangers club coming off a World Series title.