NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Five days after opening Spring Training by revealing Spencer Schwellenbach will miss significant time, Braves manager Walt Weiss said Sunday that Hurston Waldrep is the team’s latest starting pitcher with a potentially significant health concern.
Waldrep drew rave reviews after flashing some 99 mph fastballs and his great splitter during a live batting practice session on Thursday. But the excitement faded when he returned to the ballpark on Friday with his elbow feeling sore. Weiss said an MRI exam showed some loose bodies, but there were no signs of ligament damage.
The Braves will learn more after Waldrep sees Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Monday. Meister is a noted surgeon who performed recent UCL elbow surgeries on both Spencer Strider and AJ Smith-Shawver.
“There's some things in there that shouldn't be there, I guess,” Weiss said. “I think it's fairly common with pitchers. I don't want to elaborate on the loose bodies, because I'm not totally sure, but it probably needs to be dealt with. I don't know what that looks like as far as procedure or anything, but I guess Dr. Meister will let us know.”
As the Braves progressed through the offseason, it seemed like the health-related uncertainties surrounding Reynaldo López (returning from arthroscopic shoulder surgery) and Grant Holmes (missed final two months of 2025 with an elbow injury) were enough to necessitate adding a starting pitcher via free agency or trade.
The need for a starter seemed to grow on Tuesday, when it was announced Schwellenbach will miss at least two months of the regular season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. He was ticketed to fill one of the top three spots in Atlanta’s rotation.
Waldrep might have been targeted to begin the season in Triple-A, simply because he has remaining Minor League options and a couple other fifth starter candidates don’t. But there has always been a sense the 23-year-old hurler has the potential to become an integral part of Atlanta’s rotation at some point this season.
“He's a young kid with a really promising future,” Weiss said. “The other day he opened some eyes. He was popping 99 mph right out of the gate. But he threw several [bullpen sessions] before he got down here. I think he said [he threw] seven or eight bullpens and had no issues. Sometimes it's hard to retrace your steps and explain some of these things, but it's all part of it.”
If the season were to start today, Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, López and Holmes would be locks for the rotation. The battle for the fifth spot would be between Bryce Elder and Joey Wentz, who are both out of options. One of them could begin the season in the bullpen to preserve the organization’s starting pitching depth.
Waldrep posted a 2.88 ERA in 10 big league starts last year. His absence will further weaken the club’s starter depth. JR Ritchie, the Braves' No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, could be available at some point this season. But like Didier Fuentes, who debuted too soon last year, Ritchie needs more time in the Minors.
Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has said he has pursued multiple starters throughout the offseason, but he hasn’t found the right fit. Chris Bassitt seemed like a possibility before he agreed to a one-year, $18 million deal with the Orioles last week. As for Zac Gallen, who recently agreed to return to the D-backs on a one-year deal, he was never deemed a fit for Atlanta.