With the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaching, the Texas Rangers are keeping a close eye on the rehab progress of two injured left-handers, Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford, because how soon each can return factors directly into the club’s deadline plans. Both pitched Saturday at minor league affiliates, and their outings went in opposite directions.
Neither has thrown a Major League pitch this season. Montgomery hasn’t appeared in an MLB game since 2024, having missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery, and he’s still building back up. Bradford didn’t pitch last season either, slowed by an elbow injury that eventually required surgery, though a less serious one than Montgomery’s. Texas felt his absence after he had emerged as an effective piece of the 2024 rotation. Montgomery is further along in the process, but it was Bradford who had the better night.
Bradford Takes a Step Forward
Making his second rehab start, both of them at Double-A Frisco, Bradford was excellent. After throwing just one inning on July 12, he went two frames on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out four while throwing 37 pitches, 27 of them for strikes. That built on a solid debut in which he issued a run and two walks with one strikeout but didn’t surrender a hit. For Bradford, the results aren’t the point yet. He’s still working through his control, mechanics, and pitch count as he stretches out.
Montgomery Takes a Step Back
Montgomery has reached the stage where the results do matter, which is what made Saturday a concern. He entered the day with five rehab starts already behind him, most recently reaching four innings on July 12 while allowing four hits and a run with one strikeout and no walks over 52 pitches. Another four-inning outing, and possibly five, looked like the next step.
Instead, he couldn’t get out of the third inning at Triple-A Round Rock. Montgomery gave up seven hits and six earned runs with two strikeouts on 53 pitches, 33 of them strikes. He didn’t extend his pitch count beyond his recent starts, and it marked the first rehab outing in which he allowed more than five hits and two runs.
What It Means for the Deadline
The pair can likely each squeeze in two more starts before the Rangers finalize their deadline decisions on Aug. 3. Montgomery should be closer to a big league return than Bradford by that point, though exactly how close is an open question after Saturday. President of baseball operations Chris Young and his staff will factor both pitchers’ readiness into how aggressively they pursue rotation help before the deadline passes.
