Who will replace Cody Bradford after latest news shakes up Rangers' rotation?

The Texas Rangers announced on Thursday that left-hander Cody Bradford will not be ready for Opening Day after being scratched from his latest spring training start due to elbow soreness in his throwing hand.

Bradford, 27, was set to pitch on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds before being replaced last-minute by Shawn Armstrong. Bradford's MRI came back clean but manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that he will be shut down for 10 days as the soreness heals.

It's the latest update to an up-and-down couple of days for the Rangers' rotation after Tyler Mahle was scratched from Tuesday's game, although Mahle's situation seems to be of less concern and he will get on the mound again soon.

Their depth allows them to dip into their internal options rather than have to make an external move via trade or free agency. But who will the Rangers decide to start in Bradford's place?

Here are 3 options for the Rangers as they replace Cody Bradford on the Opening Day roster

Dane Dunning

It's hard to ever count out Dane Dunning. He's the all-time wins and innings pitched leader in Globe Life Field history and two seasons ago was the organization's pitcher of the year after stepping into the rotation once Jacob deGrom had Tommy John Surgery,

After a tough 2024 season, Dunning has shown flashes this spring of what made him successful two years ago. Dunning likely slots in as a replacement for Bradford because Bochy trusts him and that is massive in Bochy's eyes. Dunning has also shown his ability to seamlessly transition back-and-forth from the rotation to the bullpen so once Bradford does return you can slot Dunning back into the pen without comprising effectiveness.

Adrian Houser

The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with Texas prior to spring training on a mission to restore his career after a tough last three years with the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets.

Houser is an eight year MLB veteran with experience starting and coming out of the bullpen. He stands out as a potential option for Texas as he's gotten off to a strong start this spring with eight innings of two runs, three strikeouts and an opponents batting average of .154. If Bochy is only having to make a short-term replacement choice Houser might be a good option.

Jack Leiter

Leiter is likely the fan favorite choice to make the Opening Day roster due to his resurgence this spring. He's looking like a future star at the big league level with a fastball that is touching triple digits and a 95 mph changeup.

The control problem however still exist with Leiter who has issued six walks in 10.2 innings of work. But he has fixed the problem of making his stuff easy to hit, limiting opposing hitters to a .200 batting average. These last couple of weeks are big for Leiter's case to make the team, can he show improvement on the walk front while continuing to progress forward? If so, I think Bochy will reward him with a spot in the rotation.