JR Ritchie’s young MLB career has been a whirlwind. In just two months, the 22-year-old pitched one of the best big league debuts in franchise history before eventually getting sent back down to the Minor Leagues after a string of short starts.
He returned to the Braves on Wednesday, where he was asked to pitch out of the bullpen for the first time Friday when Spencer Strider exited abruptly with elbow inflammation. Atlanta’s No. 2 prospect, and No. 58 overall per MLB Pipeline, ran with the opportunity -- tossing five scoreless innings of relief.
Ritchie allowed just two hits and struck out five in that appearance against the Mets, earning him Strider’s spot in the rotation after Strider was placed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday.
It wasn’t the path Ritchie would have preferred, but the right-hander will get another long look with a Braves (46-25) team roaring towards October.
“JR, we’ve seen him, very talented, very young,” manager Walt Weiss said over the weekend in New York. “He’s learning on the fly here, and he’s handling it very well. Looking forward to him getting back out there.
“We’ll just insert Ritchie into [Strider’s] spot. He threw the ball really well. He’s obviously built up and has been making starts in Triple-A. He threw 70+ pitches [Friday] night, so he’s ready to go.”
Ritchie should have an extended runway to make an impression with Strider now shut down from throwing for at least four weeks, with a potential return in the season's final two months, following an MRI and appointment with Dr. Keith Meister. And while starters AJ Smith-Shawver and Spencer Schwellenbach have begun throwing, with Smith-Shawver more advanced in his progression, both are still a ways away from returning to game action.
That leaves Ritchie with his second opportunity before the All-Star break to solidify his spot in the rotation. It’s been a long road for the rookie starter, too, with Ritchie undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2023 before coming back to pitch 49 2/3 innings with a 2.90 ERA across three levels in 2024.
He excelled even more when fully healthy in 2025, tossing 140 innings with a combined 2.64 ERA over three levels again. This time, however, Ritchie reached Triple-A Gwinnett, where he threw 59 2/3 innings to the tune of 3.02 ERA in 11 starts. He had an impressive 1.09 WHIP and .181 batting average against with the Stripers, setting the stage for his Major League debut in April.
Ritchie’s first taste of the big leagues went as well as he could have hoped, despite giving up a first-pitch home run to the Nationals’ James Wood. After that, Ritchie settled in and struck out seven over seven frames of two-run ball -- becoming the first Brave to strike out seven-plus and allow two runs or fewer while notching seven innings in a MLB debut.
After that, however, Ritchie walked 10 batters over 10 1/3 IP in his next two starts. On May 18, Ritchie gave up six runs (five earned) in only four innings against Miami and was optioned the next day.
He had a rocky return to the Minor Leagues, getting tagged for five runs on five hits and four walks over one-third of an inning in a start on May 30, but he bounced back with six frames of two-run ball on June 5 before his call up to Majors on Wednesday.
Ritchie’s relief appearance Friday not only saved the bullpen when Strider exited after a leadoff walk to begin the fourth inning, but it proved why there is still so much potential for the young starter. Ritchie mixed his six-pitch arsenal well, topping out at 96.7 mph with his sinker and generating five whiffs on nine swings with his curveball, which was his second-most thrown pitch (16).
“Ritchie was outstanding,” Weiss said Friday night. “Man, that’s maybe as good as I’ve seen him this year with us.”
The Braves will want to see more of that when Ritchie makes his next start Wednesday against the Giants at Truist Park opposite 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray. And his performance Friday gave him the confidence he can do it again and prove he belongs.
“It was definitely good to be back, I felt a lot more like myself,” Ritchie said after his outing. “That was a big emphasis coming back, trusting myself and my process and my routines. Trusting who I am on the mound, not giving in.”
MLB.com’s Matthew Ritchie aided in reporting this story.