Is Waldrep's job safe? Banged-up Braves have few other options

PITTSBURGH -- Braves manager Walt Weiss was asked if Hurston Waldrep will remain in the rotation after the young hurler surrendered two of Ryan O’Hearn’s three home runs and lasted just 3 1/3 innings in a 12-4 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday night at PNC Park.

“Those are conversations as you move forward, but you’ve got [Martin] Pérez who just went on the IL,” Weiss said. “So it’s a numbers game there. But those conversations about the rotation are almost day to day for much of this year. So I think it will continue to be that way.”

In other words, if Pérez had not been the latest Atlanta starter to suffer an injury, Waldrep might have an opportunity to return to Triple-A Gwinnett to essentially extend his rehab from a February arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow.

Does Waldrep have the potential to be an asset in the rotation? He proved this last year, when he posted a 2.88 ERA over 10 appearances (nine starts) for Atlanta. But he currently looks like someone who totaled 15 1/3 innings over five Minor League starts before making his season debut nearly two weeks ago.

Is Waldrep rusty? Well, he has walked 10 and hit two batters over 10 1/3 innings for Atlanta thus far. The splitter he has relied on in the past has served as a secondary pitch in his past two starts. As for his breaking balls, O’Hearn hit his first homer against the curveball and his second against the slider.

“It’s pretty frustrating to feel like you kind of took a step back in the rehab process,” Waldrep said. “You feel like you’re making strides and getting back to the version that I want to be and that this team needs. So that’s pretty frustrating.”

Why would Waldrep be at the big league level if he’s not ready? Quite simply, the Braves have run out of options.

Spencer Strider suffered a possible season-ending elbow injury on June 12, and Pérez’s left forearm was badly contused by a Juan Soto liner on Sunday. The attempt to use prospect JR Ritchie (MLB No. 49, Braves No. 2 prospect) in the rotation was halted because of his inconsistent command.

While the odds of Strider returning this season, at least as a starter, seem slim, there is an outside shot Spencer Schwellenbach (fractured right elbow) will return at some point. But he hasn’t even gone to Florida yet to begin what would essentially be his four- to six-week Spring Training process.

There’s a chance AJ Smith-Shawver will be deemed ready at some point after the All-Star break. He has an incredibly bright future, as evidenced by the high-octane fastballs he has been throwing in his recent rehab starts. But it’s not wise to rely on any pitcher who has spent the past year recovering from a right elbow UCL surgery.

So what can the Braves do? They have the money and prospect capital it would take to acquire at least one top starting pitcher before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. But having lost 17 of their past 24, they need to keep themselves afloat with internal options over the next few weeks.

But the Braves’ rotation currently consists of All-Star Chris Sale and a whole lot of uncertainty. Beyond Sale, the next most encouraging thing you can say about Atlanta’s starters is that Reynaldo López has looked decent in two of the three starts he has made since moving back to the rotation.

Bryce Elder has a 8.70 ERA over his past six starts, but he entered his May 27 outing having posted MLB’s fifth-best ERA over an 18-start stretch going back to Aug. 24, 2025. Can he get back to where he was? The Braves are hoping one skipped turn will help him when he pitches Thursday’s series finale in Pittsburgh.

Grant Holmes looks like a good fit in the bullpen. But the lack of options has forced him to stay in the rotation, despite the fact he has completed five innings in just two of his past six starts.

The Braves’ rotation was an offseason concern, and the concern grew when four starters were injured during Spring Training. Worries dissipated when Atlanta’s starters posted a 2.88 ERA as the team won 32 of its first 47 games. But they have returned with a fury as the starters have posted a 5.34 ERA over the 43 games that have followed.

“Starting pitching is the common denominator to all successful teams,” Weiss said. “The game just falls into place when you get good starting pitching.”