ATLANTA -- How odd has this year been? Well, near the end of a season tarnished by starting pitching injuries, the Braves have gained reason to feel good about their future rotation depth.
When August arrived, each member of Atlanta’s season-opening rotation was on the injured list, Spencer Strider was entering the roughest stretch of his inconsistent return season, Hurston Waldrep was wondering if he’d pitch in the Majors this year, and Braves fans were wishing Bryce Elder pitched for any team other than theirs.
But as the Braves head into the regular season’s final weekend having won 10 of their past 11, they actually have a rotation that may have caused problems for opponents in the postseason. Waldrep has spent the past two months looking like a future frontline starter and Elder delivered another encouraging effort in a 4-3 loss to the Nationals on Wednesday afternoon at Truist Park.
“I think [the 2026 rotation] has a chance to be what we thought the rotation would be going into this year,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We were really excited about it.”
And the Braves were right to be excited. But then Reynaldo López made just one start before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Righty AJ Smith-Shawver blew out his elbow at the end of May. And Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach joined both on the 60-day injured list by the end of June. The last standing member of the season-opening rotation, Grant Holmes, made it until the end of July before suffering an elbow injury that could impact him into next year.
If that wasn’t enough, Strider missed the season’s first few weeks recovering from elbow surgery and then strained his hamstring after making just one start. He also missed more than a month.
“You can’t lose five starters and expect things to go well,” Snitker said. “You can lose five position players, because we proved that last year when we led Major League Baseball in pitching and got into the playoffs.”
When Holmes was lost with a season-ending elbow injury near the end of July, it felt like the Braves were scouring Facebook Marketplace for starters. But thanks to names like Joey Wentz, Elder and Waldrep, the Atlanta rotation remained whole and effective over the season’s final two months.
Elder surrendered a pair of solo homers while allowing three runs and striking out seven over seven innings on Wednesday. This marked the sixth time in his past seven starts that he allowed three runs or fewer over at least six innings. Not bad for a guy who had posted a 6.29 ERA in the 21 starts that preceded this stretch.
“For me, he vaulted himself right into the picture for next year,” Snitker said. “It was good to see what he overcame and how he finished.”
Elder’s season actually started to turn around on Aug. 1, two days before Waldrep was literally rushed to the Majors. When MLB’s Speedway Classic was suspended for a little more than 12 hours because of rain on Aug. 2, Waldrep got the call-up from Triple-A Gwinnett and possibly entrenched himself within Atlanta’s rotation for many years to come.
Waldrep concluded his rookie season by limiting the Nationals to one run over six innings in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over Washington. The 23-year-old hurler posted a 2.88 ERA over 10 appearances (nine starts) for Atlanta this year. His success over the final two months showed why the Braves were happy to take him in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
“I think this sets a really good standard for next year,” Waldrep said. “I think it puts me in a great spot to go and do everything that I work for on a daily basis. I think I'm exactly where I need to be, no more, no less.”
While there’s a chance the Braves add a starter this winter, their current projected rotation to begin the 2026 season would include Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Strider and Waldrep. López wants to be a starter and the Braves have said they haven’t even discussed him going to the bullpen. So, the 2024 All-Star would also be part of this mix pending a successful return from shoulder surgery.
Holmes is hoping rest will allow him to avoid UCL elbow surgery. Wentz’s future in Atlanta is attached to him being out of options, something Elder doesn’t have to worry about until 2027. JR Ritchie has posted a 3.02 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts this year, also enhancing the club’s starting pitching depth.
So, 2025 may be remembered as a year during which the Braves lost a lot of starters, yet still gained optimism about future rotations.