Rangers' Cody Bradford: Playing catch again

Bradford (rib/back) said June 5 that he has begun playing catch off flat ground from 120 feet, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Bradford turned some heads by opening the season with three wins and a 1.40 ERA and 0.62 WHIP through his first three starts, but he's been on the shelf since mid-April with a lower back strain and a small stress fracture of a rib. Nearly two months later, Bradford is finally throwing again, and assuming that he's responding well to long tossing, he could be cleared for bullpen sessions in the next week or two. Bradford is without a clear target date for a return from the 60-day injured list, but he may not have a rotation spot waiting for him once he's activated, as Max Scherzer (back/arm) and Tyler Mahle (elbow) could both rejoin the big club before him.