SARASOTA, Fla. – With only 14 starts over the past two seasons and elbow surgery and rehab wedged in between, Kyle Bradish assumes that he’ll be put on some sort of innings limit. But asked about the type of work load he’s prepared for over the winter, Bradish said, “To pitch a full season, whatever that looks like right now.”

“As of right now,” he said, “I’m full-go.”

“That’s where his feedback is gonna be the biggest thing, the biggest driver,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “If he’s feeling great and he’s doing everything right in the weight room and the training room and he’s diligent on his throwing program and bullpens, that’s where we’re gonna lean on him. We’re not gonna run him out there for 130 pitches an outing, but we’ll be mindful of his workload. But he’s gonna have a huge voice in that.

“The days where if he’s feeling sluggish or he’s feeling it, yeah, we might pull back a little bit. But it’s all about how KB is feeling and what our medical team and strength team is seeing.”

Bradish is happy to have a drama-free camp and typical ramp-up after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow in January 2024, undergoing ligament-reconstructive surgery after eight starts, and returning to the Orioles’ rotation on Aug. 26, 2025.

“It’s very nice,” he said. “I haven’t had a normal spring training for two years, so it’s nice to feel like a normal player.”

The rotation is deep with Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt, Dean Kremer and Zach Eflin, plus Tyler Wells with his past success as a starter and reliever.

“I think we’re in a really good spot right now,” Bradish said. “Got a lot of depth and a lot of really good arms.”

The front office and ownership group demonstrated a commitment to the team by making one of the boldest moves of the offseason with first baseman Pete Alonso’s five-year, $155 million contract. They also spent $18.5 million for Bassitt and potentially $28 million for closer Ryan Helsley, who has an opt-out after 2026. They re-signed Eflin and traded for Baz, outfielder Taylor Ward and set-up man Andrew Kittredge. Backup outfielder Leody Taveras signed for $2 million.

“I think it just shows that we’re kind of in that win-now mode that we’ve been talking about,” Bradish said. “I think they showed that this offseason by going to get some guys. Obviously, Pete’s the big signing, but other acquisitions that they’ve gotten and the other guys they’ve picked up, I think it adds a lot to this clubhouse.”

The injection of talent could help the team flush last year’s plummet into last place, but Bradish already moved on from it.

“I think that’s already flushed after Game 162 last year,” he said. “I think a lot of guys went into the offseason, not gonna let that happen again this year.”

Bradish could earn his first Opening Day start. He finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting in 2023 but was on the injured list in ’24 while Corbin Burnes received the honor.

“I don’t know how much competition there is after that performance yesterday from Rogers,” Bradish said, referencing the seven strikeouts among 10 batters faced in live batting practice. “I mean, it’s just another spot in the rotation for me.”

Albernaz was asked about having Bradish and Rogers as a 1-2 punch. He couldn’t let it pass without having some fun.

“Are they the 1-2?” he asked.

After pausing for about three seconds, Albernaz said, “Yeah, probably. Yeah.”

“You’ve got Shane in there, too,” he said. “Bassitt, Eflin. We have a strong rotation, and they’re only going to get stronger as those guys mesh. I think that’s where the starting pitching culture is something that, it gets talked about but not enough I think, where the guys start feeding off each other.

“They’re gonna push each other and the rest of the group is gonna push each other. Not in a competitive way, but in a way just to get better in their development.”

But about Opening Day … Is there a real competition for the March 26 start against the Twins at Camden Yards?

“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,” Albernaz replied. “I haven’t named it, so yeah. There’s still competition in the best way possible.”

Rogers had batters shaking their heads and making comments on the way back to the bench.

“That was fun to watch,” Albernaz said. “He was moving great, throwing strikes. The intent was there. I just love in the dugout, the feedback from our hitters. Our guys never really faced him. They face him in spring training and then they go the whole year without him, so then that’s when the real magic happens, where (Colton) Cowser and everyone hitting off him, they give him real feedback of like, ‘Yeah, really deceptive.’ Cowser was like, ‘I had no idea how deceptive you were.’ To me, that’s the fun part. Yeah, he looked great.”