When Cody Bradford makes his Major League Baseball debut at Globe Life Field on Monday night against the Atlanta Braves, it’s more than a story of a local kid fulfilling his dream.

It’s a story of perseverance and triumph.

The Aledo and Baylor star will pitch in the majors after overcoming Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which caused him to miss much of the 2019 season after he was selected in the sixth round of the draft.

In 2018, he was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year when he 7-6 with a 2.58 ERA for the Bears. He struck out 87 batters in 92 innings.

Those superb statistics were enough for the Rangers to give him a $700,000 signing bonus, more than twice the slot value of the sixth-round draft selection.

According to the Rangers’ media relations, Bradford is the fourth native Texas pitcher to make his pitching debut with the Rangers in Arlington. The list includes: Glenn Otto on Aug. 21, 2021 vs. Houston, Chris Young on Aug. 24, 2004 vs. Minnesota, and Jim Gideon on Sept. 14, 1975 vs. Chicago-AL.

After starting his career in 2020, minor league baseball was shutdown for the year because of the pandemic.

Bradford, 25, has a 5-1 record and a 0.91 ERA over seven starts at Triple-A Round Rock in the Pacific Coast League. His has a 21-12 record and a 4.03 ERA with 289 strikeouts in 254.2 innings during his minor league career.

A standout high school pitcher at Aledo, he posted a 0.64 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 66 innings in his senior year in 2016.

To make room for Bradford on the MLB roster, they sent right-handed pitcher Yerry Rodríguez to Round Rock.

It will be an interesting, yet tough test as he will face the Braves, which are one of the hottest teams in the league and have one of the best batting lineups.