Getting shelled by the Chicago White Sox really did a number on one Tampa Bay Rays pitcher.
Rays right-hander Taj Bradley had a horrific start on Wednesday against the White Sox at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. Bradley lasted just 1.2 innings, getting tagged for four earned runs on four hits and three walks before being pulled in the second inning. While Bradley at least didn’t take the loss on Wednesday after his offense made the game interesting, the White Sox still won by an 11-9 final score.
Just minutes after the game went final, word broke that the Rays were demoting Bradley. The 24-year-old is being optioned to Triple-A Durham.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times broke the news. You can see that Topkin’s posts on X about the final score and then about Rays sending Bradley down came just 13 minutes apart.
#Rays blow 2 multi-run leads, lose to #WhiteSox 11-9
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 24, 2025
#Rays option Bradley to AAA @DurhamBulls
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 24, 2025
Bradley has some swing-and-miss upside and posted 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings over his first two big-league seasons combined. But he has been extremely uneven with his performance in 2025, entering play on Wednesday with a 6-6 record to go along with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP (numbers that are even worse now after Bradley’s disaster against the White Sox).
Meanwhile, the Rays have been overperforming a bit this season and still sit at a respectable 53-50 overall (though that is only good for fourth in the AL East). But Bradley’s instant demotion brings back memories of earlier this season when another MLB player was sent down to the minors right after an embarrassing baserunning blunder.
