The Baltimore Orioles are flush with young offensive talent, helping them stake out an early lead in the AL East. With a healthy pitching staff, the Orioles are hoping to reach even greater heights.

After beginning the season on the Injured List with an elbow injury, Kyle Bradish is being activated on Thursday, via Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. Bradish will be making his season debut against the New York Yankees.

Unfortunately for Baltimore, not all is well on the healthy pitching staff front. The Orioles placed Grayson Rodriguez on the IL with shoulder inflammation on Wednesday. Even with Rodriguez out, Baltimore is hopeful Bradish will only bolster a rotation that ranks 11th in the league with a 3.62 ERA.

Kyle Bradish burst onto the scene in 2023, proving to be a staple in Baltimore's rotation. He held a 12-7 record with a 2.83 ERA and a 168/44 K/BB ratio. It was a stark improvement after Bradish held a 4.90 ERA over his first 23 starts as a rookie in 2022.

He made one start for the team during their short playoff run. While the Orioles came away with a loss, Bradish struck out nine batters over his 4.2 innings, allowing two runs. With the O's looking to make a much deeper run in 2024, they'll be counting on Bradish to return to form.

Now healthy, he'll have his first chance at proving his 2023 season was no fluke against the Yankees.

State of Orioles' pitching rotation 

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish (39) looks on during the third inning against the Texas Rangers in game one of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

While Baltimore might've lost Rodriguez, Bradish isn't the only pitching capable of holding down the fort in the rotation. The Orioles' biggest splash of the offseason came when they landed Corbin Burnes in a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Since joining Baltimore, Burnes has pitched to a 3-1 record with a 2.61 ERA and a 41/9 K/BB ratio. He has been everything the Orioles were hoping for and more atop the rotation.

Albert Suarez has been a pleasant surprise for the O's, pitching to a 2.25 ERA and 15/3 K/BB ratio over his three starts. Cole Irvin has been solid with a 3.49 ERA and an 18/7 K/BB ratio. While Dean Kremer needs some work to improve his 4.19 ERA, Baltimore recently welcomed John Means back to the rotation. While injuries have decimated his recent career, he held a 2.266 ERA and a 10/4 K/BB ratio over the four starts he did make in 2023.

But no matter how much pitching talent the Orioles have, Baltimore knows it is not enough. As the old adage goes, you can never have enough pitching. Kyle Bradish's return gives the Orioles just that. It may take some time for Bradish to get fully up to speed after missing the early part of the campaign with his injury.

However, if he is fully locked in and back to his 2023 form, Baltimore has returned a true difference maker to their pitching rotation. Already the cream of the AL East crop, the Orioles are set to get much scarier on the pitching front.