The two pitchers the Rangers have been waiting on have finally returned. Cody Bradford made a start Wednesday after being out nearly two seasons. He went 4.1 shutout innings in a 6-0 victory over the Giants. 

Yesterday, Jordan Montgomery returned to the mound for his first appearance in nearly two years as well. His didn’t go as well as Bradford’s. Then again, he came into a game already down 5-3. Montgomery, being a former starter, gives the Rangers bullpen an arm that can be a good innings eater. That usually equates to mop up work. After starter Kumar Rocker allowed five runs to put the Rangers in a hole early, Montgomery came in and gave up three runs, effectively putting the game out of reach in an eventual 10-5 loss to the Orioles.

Montgomery had an interesting journey to get here. He was traded to the Rangers in their glorious 2023 season and made a real, positive impact in the playoff run, winning four games in 11 starts with a 2.79 ERA. Of course, he made the ill-fated decision to leave the Rangers, the one club he did the best for in his career, and take free-agency, holding out until two days before opening day to sign a one-year deal with Arizona that ended up being such a disaster, he fired his agent Scott Boris for “botching his free agency” and the Diamondbacks owner made a rare public comment about how this was the worst signing his club ever made. By August, his ERA had ballooned to over 6.00, he’d be injured on and off again, and was finally demoted to the bullpen, where he languished in obscurity the rest of the season, then traded, then became a free agent this past offseason, when the Rangers signed him.,

Bradford was off to a great start of his 2024 season, going 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA until he had back troubles, which turned out to be a stress fracture in his ribs. Then his elbow gave out before the 2025 season and he has been trying to come back ever since, finally making it back last week.

Bradford and Montgomery are two reasons the Ranger didn’t go bigger at the trade deadline. They knew they had two arms coming back. That, and they had no prospect to trade and no additional money to take on salaries. 

So far, the Rangers have had mixed results with their two arms. Cody Bradford pitched well; Jordan Montgomery did not.

Just what you would expect from the perpetually .500 team. Some good, some bad. 

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