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Bradley (3-0) earned the win against the Blue Jays on Sunday, allowing one run on five hits and four walks with seven strikeouts over five innings.
Bradley allowed a run in the first inning before rebounding with four scoreless frames, despite throwing just 62 of 106 pitches for strikes and issuing a season-high four walks. While he wasn't sharp Sunday, the 25-year-old has now won three straight contests and has yielded just three total earned runs over four starts to open the season. He'll carry a 1.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB across 21.2 innings into a home matchup against the Reds next weekend.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Fans 10 for second win of 2026
Rotowire
Bradley (2-0) came away with the win against the Tigers on Tuesday, allowing one run on six hits while striking out 10 across 6.1 innings. He did not issue a walk.
Bradley set the tone by striking out the first two batters he faced, and he struck out at least one batter in each of the next six frames. He was tagged with an earned run after Parker Meadows came around to score in the seventh, but that was the only blemish in an outstanding start for Bradley, who generated 15 whiffs while logging 68 strikes on 104 pitches (65.4 percent). Bradley has logged back-to-back quality starts and has yielded only two runs while striking out 22 batters across 16.2 innings to open the season. He's slated to start this weekend on the road against the Blue Jays.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Shines in scoreless outing
Rotowire
Bradley (1-0) earned the win Thursday against the Royals, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out three over six scoreless innings.
Bradley worked through a few early threats but managed to keep Kansas City off the board, showcasing his ability to pitch out of trouble. The right-hander's biggest moment came in the third inning, when he rebounded from a dropped foul popup by striking out Bobby Witt with a 100 mph fastball -- the hardest pitch thrown by a Twins starter in the pitch-tracking era -- to escape the jam. The 25-year-old righty was also efficient enough to reach the six-inning mark, tossing 65 of 100 pitches for strikes. Coming off a season in which he posted a 5.05 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 127 strikeouts over 142.2 innings, Bradley is off to a red-hot start to 2026 and continues to justify Minnesota's decision to acquire him from Tampa Bay at last year's trade deadline.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Strikes out nine over 4.1 innings
Rotowire
Bradley allowed one run on three hits and three walks across 4.1 innings in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Orioles. He struck out nine.
Bradley won a spot in the Twins' rotation during spring training and continued racking up the strikeouts against Baltimore. His fastball remained up compared to 2025, as he averaged 97.4 mph in Saturday's outing compared to 96.2 mph from a season ago. However, walks remain an issue, contributing to Bradley being unable to get deep enough into the game to pick up the win. Bradley's next start should line up for Friday's home opener against his former team, the Rays.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Set to win rotation spot
Rotowire
With Zebby Matthews sent to the minors, Bradley solidified his spot in the rotation and will likely make his first start March 28 at Baltimore, Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Bradley did enough this spring to win a spot with a 19:5 K:BB in 14 innings and a 4.50 ERA. He was set to play in the World Baseball Classic but stayed in spring training with the Twins to win a rotation spot. Bradley has above-average velocity (96.3 mph average fastball in 2025) but issues with walks (9.3 BB% last season) have limited his effectiveness.
Bradley has a good chance of winning a rotation spot for the Twins, Matthew Leach of MLB.com surmises.
Bradley might have had an inside track at winning a job battle even before Pablo Lopez's elbow injury, but with three starting spots now open, the likelihood is even higher. Bradley is pitching in the World Baseball Classic, so some of his reps will be away from manager Derek Shelton's direct observations.
Twins' Taj Bradley: Fans nine in six impressive frames
Rotowire
Bradley didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing one run on two hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out nine.
In what was his final scheduled appearance of the season, Bradley saved his best start since joining Minnesota for last. The nine strikeouts were his most since he fanned 10 during his June 1 outing in Houston as a member of the Rays, and Wednesday was the first time since July 18 that the right-hander fired at least six innings while conceding one run or zero. Bradley still struggled as a whole since landing with the Twins, turning in a 6.61 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 32:12 K:BB across 31.1 innings, so he may have to fight for a rotation spot next spring.
Bradley (6-8) was saddled with the loss Wednesday against the Yankees, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out four.
Wednesday marked Bradley's shortest outing since he worked just 1.2 innings in a July 23 start against the White Sox. It was the third time this year that the right-hander yielded seven runs, and he has only one quality start in his last six appearances. Next week's scheduled start in Texas could be Bradley's last of the campaign, and he'll be looking to salvage a disastrous start to his Twins career. Through 25.1 innings for Minnesota, he has a 7.82 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB.
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