Braves Injury Update: Waldrep's accelerating rehab, Drake Baldwin timeline, Sean Murphy

Despite coming up short on Sunday, the Atlanta Braves added another series win to their ledger over the weekend against the Reds. While it may not seem like it if you are following social media during Atlanta's less-than-stellar showings, that preserved the Braves' streak of having only lost two series all season long (plus a split against the Diamondbacks) before giving the team a much-needed day off on Monday.

One aspect of the Braves' hot start to the 2026 season that isn't given enough attention is that they aren't even at full strength yet. Yes, Ronald Acuña Jr. has woken up in a big way and appears to be healthy again, but Atlanta is still missing some key players that were expected to play important roles in 2026. Based on a series of updates from Alex Anthopoulos on Sunday, it sounds like Braves fans won't have to wait too long to see what this team is capable of when they have (almost) everyone healthy.

Hurston Waldrep is about to begin his rehab assignment this week, and he already looks really good

The wave of injuries for 2026 began with Ha-Seong Kim hurting his finger before spring training started. However, that wave began to crest when both Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach needed elbow procedures. While Schwellenbach is a ways off due to getting a bone spur removed, it sounds like Waldrep could return very soon and is already looking quite good.

According to Anthopoulos, Waldrep has been throwing very well during his rehab and is already hitting the high 90's with his fastball. Waldrep will begin a rehab assignment this week and, assuming everything goes well and Waldrep avoids setbacks, a return by around mid-June seems to be very possible.

Drake Baldwin should return by no later than mid-June, if not sooner

While Waldrep's recovery seems on track, the Braves appear to be even more optimistic about Drake Baldwin. After looking like a viable NL MVP candidate to start the season (and he could very well be in the hunt upon his return), Baldwin's oblique injury was a massive blow to the Braves' offense that is still being felt on a night-to-night basis. Given how tricky oblique injuries can be, fans have been understandably concerned, especially with Sean Murphy dealing with a fluke finger injury.

Thankfully, Baldwin could be back very soon, according to Anthopoulos. By all accounts, the Braves appear to have gotten a bit lucky, as Baldwin's oblique injury appears to have been very mild. AA put a rough return timeline for Baldwin at around mid-June, but did say that it could actually be sooner and that Baldwin probably wouldn't require much of a rehab assignment.

Sean Murphy's finger is progressing well, but he isn't close to a return

Speaking of injured catchers, the news isn't quite as rosy with Murphy, although that doesn't mean he has experienced a setback. Murphy's broken finger was expected to keep him out for months from the moment the injury was announced, and it sounds like that remains true.

According to Anthopoulos, Atlanta is hopeful that Murphy returns by the All-Star break. However, it could take as long as the trade deadline for Murphy to return, but it could be a while before we get a more exact return timeline so that he can progress further in his rehab. That isn't a huge deal if Baldwin returns as quickly as expected, but it would be nice to have another right-handed bat and a backup option at catcher that isn't a black hole in the lineup (we hope).

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