NORTH PORT, Fla. -- An MRI exam completed shortly after last year’s All-Star break showed Grant Holmes’ right elbow had a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and a partially torn flexor tendon.
But given the great strides he made over the weeks and months that followed, Holmes wonders if the UCL tear was a pre-existing injury that he had pitched through over the years.
“That was the first image I’ve ever had on my elbow,” Holmes said. “So, nobody knows if that [UCL] tear was there beforehand and was really just a flexor [strain]. Honestly, I think that’s what it was, because if I had a tear in the flexor tendon and the UCL, that would have been a whole lot different. I wouldn’t have recovered as fast.”
Holmes has come to Braves Spring Training without any restrictions. This has given him more confidence in the decision he made last summer when he chose rest and rehab over surgery. But the real test will come as he spends the next few weeks and months attempting to prove he can be a valuable and dependable asset within Atlanta’s already injury-depleted rotation.
With Spencer Schwellenbach set to miss at least a significant portion of the season’s first half, Holmes joins Reynaldo López, Spencer Strider and Chris Sale as the top rotation options. Bryce Elder, Hurston Waldrep and Joey Wentz are candidates for the fifth starter’s spot.
“I feel strong and really healthy right now,” Holmes said. “My recovery has been really good.”
It’s still too early to know how Holmes’ arm will react when taxed by normal activities during Spring Training and the regular season. But Braves manager Walt Weiss is optimistic that the 29-year-old right-hander is in a good spot.
“All the reports all winter on him have been great,” Weiss said. “It hasn't changed since he got down here. I saw him throw a bullpen yesterday. He looked good. He opted not to have the surgery on that thing, and it's gone really well so far.”
Holmes spent 10 years in the Minors before finally debuting for the Braves a few months into the 2024 season. He earned a lasting spot in Atlanta’s rotation last year and was in the midst of a great stretch before he felt some discomfort during a July 26 start against the Rangers.
Four doctors examined the MRI that showed a torn flexor tendon. Two recommended surgery. Two suggested the veteran hurler could recover with rest and rehab.
Had Holmes undergone surgery, he would have missed all of this season. This wasn’t a risk he wanted to take.
Holmes was also encouraged by immediate progress. Eight days after that July 26 start, he said his "arm was feeling 50 percent better." He realized steady progress the rest of the winter and strength tests have shown his elbow strength has steadily increased.
“My velo is where it has always been this time of spring, if not maybe up a little more,” Holmes said. “My slider has always been there and I’ve been working on the cutter as well. It feels like I have more whip. All that tightness is gone.”
Holmes had a 2.36 ERA over six starts from June 10-July 6. His elbow may have influenced the struggles he had in two of the three starts that followed. But he will now be given a chance to prove he can once again be a valuable member of the Braves pitching staff, regardless of whether he’s used as a starter or reliever.
“With the inning load I had last year, I could definitely be a starter,” Holmes said. “I feel like I could be a little more effective because that lingering injury is no longer there. Obviously the tear is still going to be there. But if you strengthen the muscles around it, it’s going to protect it, whether it’s torn or not.”