Braxton Bragg Opens Up on Comeback as Orioles Face Roster Decision

A pitcher who missed more than a year is throwing strikes again in the Arizona Fall League, and for the Baltimore Orioles it is one of the better stories in the organization this October, even with most eyes on the big league roster.

Right-handed pitcher Braxton Bragg came back from Tommy John surgery this month with the Peoria Javelinas, and it was his first time pitching in a game since June 28, 2025.

He threw three scoreless innings against Mesa on Oct. 4, then threw three more on Friday in a 10-0 win over Salt River and got 20 of his 29 pitches in for strikes.

He now has six scoreless innings and no walks, and MLB.com noted that through Friday he was one of only two pitchers in the league to work that many innings without an earned run.

Bragg said learning about the torn ligament was crushing, though he did not stay down about it for long.

"There's a stretch where I was obviously disappointed, but after a while, you got to get over it, be a pro. It's my job to get back," Bragg said in a conversation about his return.

His feel for the strike zone came back fast once he started throwing live sessions and bullpens, he said.

Bragg was on a real roll before he got hurt.

He made three starts for High-A Aberdeen in 2025 without allowing an earned run, then moved up to Double-A Chesapeake and posted a 2.32 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 12 walks across 42 2/3 innings, which is a lot to ask from an eighth-round pick from the 2023 draft out of Dallas Baptist.

MLB.com reported that Bragg is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, so Baltimore has to add him to the 40-man roster or risk losing him to another club.

He is not on the 40-man roster right now, and MLB.com also pointed out that he will be 26 next season with fewer than 50 innings in the upper minors, so this is a tougher call than his numbers make it look.

The Orioles have a lot of young talent to sort through, with six names on a recent top 100 list, and MLB Pipeline ranks Baltimore's group of pitching prospects fourth-best in the game, so there will be a fight for every 40-man spot.

I still think Bragg deserves one of those spots, because this organization has done well with arms that came in without much hype, and pitcher Brandon Young is a good example after his first full big league season gave the club a lift in 2026.

Bragg came back from surgery and threw six clean innings without a walk, so the strike-throwing clearly never left him.

Baltimore has real questions about pitching depth next season, and the young talent coming through the minors is part of how the club answers them.

If it were my call, Bragg would get a 40-man spot, since a pitcher who throws this many strikes is exactly the arm another team would be happy to grab in the Rule 5 Draft.