ATLANTA -- Having been sidelined more than a year because of two right elbow injuries, Spencer Schwellenbach knows it’s not wise to look too far ahead. But the Braves right-hander has at least reached a point where he can think about the possibility of being activated from the injured list at some point in September.
“That’s the hope,” Schwellenbach said. “I’ve got a few bullpens left. If everything still feels good, I’ll throw to some hitters and then build up.”
Schwellenbach recently threw four bullpen sessions at the team’s Spring Training complex. He returned to Atlanta this week to throw a couple more bullpen sessions, including one in front of manager Walt Weiss on Friday afternoon. His velocity hasn’t fully returned and he hasn’t been throwing all of his pitches, but his right elbow hasn’t been a problem.
“He looked good,” Weiss said. “The ball is coming out good. I’ve gotten some good reports on him. He’s adding to his workload right now. The next step is to face live hitters after throwing about three more bullpens. But he’s moving in the right direction and he feels good.”
Schwellenbach was establishing himself as one of the game’s top starting pitchers when he fractured his right elbow while recording 12 strikeouts over seven strong innings against the Phillies on June 28, 2025. The 26-year-old hurler’s bid to be part of this year’s Opening Day roster ended the week before Spring Training began. He struggled to throw his fastball harder than 90 mph and he felt some discomfort caused by bone spurs in his right elbow.
When Schwellenbach underwent surgery in February, the Braves didn’t set a timetable for his return. The combination of last year’s fracture and this year’s spurs complicated the recovery.
Schwellenbach’s fastball has been above 90 mph during each of the bullpens he has thrown over the past couple weeks. He hasn’t reached the intensity to where he’ll learn how close he can get to the 97.1 mph average four-seam velocity he produced last year. But he feels strong enough to believe he’ll near that mark once he starts throwing in games.
Schwellenbach will return to Florida next week to throw a few more bullpen sessions and then face live hitters at the Spring Training complex. If all goes well, he could begin a rehab assignment in mid-to-late August.
Considering he would likely need at least four starts, this limits the amount of time he could be available before Atlanta’s regular season concludes. But there’s at least a chance he could pitch again this year, even if that means his debut could come as a starter or reliever in the postseason.
“The last 13 months have been a whirlwind,” Schwellenbach said. “I kind of understand that anything can happen. My mind is in a good spot. So that's kind of all that matters.”