Well, a lot of the optimism from the start of spring training seems to be evaporating when it comes to the Atlanta Braves. We still don't know who is performing particularly well outside of Ronald Acuña Jr.
being his usual impressive self in batting practice, but the Braves are already dealing with a surprise injury concern with Jurickson Profar, as well as the loss of Spencer Schwellenbach for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, that list of walking wounded is only getting longer.
With the word that Schwellenbach was going to be out dealing with bone spurs, that seemed to be great news for Hurston Waldrep's Opening Day roster chances. Unfortunately, Waldrep's bid to start the 2026 season in Atlanta just hit a snag as he is dealing with elbow discomfort and is being sent for further evaluation.
BREAKING: After Hurston Waldrep threw live BP the other day he had some pain. MRI revealed loose bodies in his elbow. It’s likely he will need some type of a procedure to clean things up. Waldrep is meeting with doctors in the next couple days to decide next steps. pic.twitter.com/wH4Sxa3EYU
— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) February 15, 2026
Braves Injury News: Hurston Waldrep's elbow is causing problems early in spring training
Importantly, the information given tells us that the ligaments in Waldrep's elbow appear to be fine, which, in theory, takes some of the true nightmare scenarios out of the running. However, it is never good news that there are random bits floating around in a pitcher's elbow. Even if Waldrep doesn't need any sort of cleanup procedure somehow, odds seem good that Waldrep will be shut down a while after visiting Dr. Meister.
This is a brutal development for the Braves, who are seeing their rotation depth being severely tested early on in camp. Being down both Schwellenbach and Waldrep is not only a lifeline to Bryce Elder, but could make both signing Lucas Giolito or giving internal option JR Ritchie a real chance far more likely.
Unfortunately, this is not a great time to have issues with your rotation. Teams haven't made roster cuts yet, so the number of short-term solutions is relatively small at the moment. There are some free agent rotation options with Giolito being the best of them, but the pickings are pretty slim, and those still available know that Atlanta is growing more and more desperate as the injuries pile up. From a negotiating leverage perspective, that isn't great.
That said, these are the cards that have been dealt to the Braves. Once again, they are going to have to piece together a rotation the best they can while some of their key arms get healthy. No one wanted to start 2026 with more injuries, but here we are.