The native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, a right-handed pitcher, appeared in 74 Major League games — 31 for the 1947 Cleveland Indians and 43 for the 1948 St. Louis Browns.

Stephens attended Washington High School in Los Angeles County, California, and signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1939.

The following season he was acquired by the Indians and spent 1940–1942 in their farm system, winning 20 of 24 decisions in 1942 for the Class B Cedar Rapids Raiders of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League.

[5] Stephens worked out of the bullpen early in the 1948 season before making six successive starts during June; however, he lost his first four decisions before throwing another complete game, a 9–6 win over the Boston Red Sox at Sportsman's Park, winning the game himself by driving in three runs with an eighth-inning double off Mel Parnell.

)[6] But Bryan Stephens' year with the Browns had few bright spots: he collected three saves and posted three wins, against six losses, with a poor 6.02 earned run average in 122+2⁄3 innings pitched.