Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley will be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks, per manager Kevin Cash.
Bradley was sent for an MRI on Tuesday after being scratched from his Grapefruit League start due to right pectoral tightness. The right-hander will need to ramp back up after the shutdown, so Bradley will not be ready for the start of the season. Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Jacob Lopez, Naoyuki Uwasawa, and Jacob Waguespack are potential options to fill the fifth spot in the Rays' rotation, as well as relievers Tyler Alexander and Chris Devenski.
Prior to the injury, numberFire's models projected Bradley to record a 4.14 ERA and 1.23 WHIP this season, with a 23.4 percent strikeout rate. As a rookie, Bradley had a 28.0 strikeout percentage and 8.5 percent walk rate.
Source: Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times