When the Atlanta Braves announced their probable starters for their upcoming series against the Rays, a notable name was missing. Having already been pushed back in the series versus the Phillies, it was expected that Bryce Elder would be taking the mound when the Braves returned home to Atlanta.
Walt Weiss and the Braves management, however had other plans. The team announced that AJ Smith-Shawever, Reynaldo López, and Martín Pérez would be the three starters for the series against the Rays, and announced that Elder would be moved to the bullpen for now.
Starting today, says Walt Weiss, Bryce Elder will move to the bullpen temporarily and could start during the Cubs series Sept. 14-16 https://t.co/K0VZSSQcaS
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) September 7, 2026
Bryce Elder decision might not be drastic enough
It's been no secret that Bryce Elder has struggled lately. After an impressive start to the 2026 season, where a potential All-Star bid looked possible as late as the end of May, the righty just has not proven to be a pitcher the Braves can rely on since then.
Since May 27, Elder has made 15 starts, and has a 5.94 ERA and 5.74 FIP. He is the second-worst pitcher by fWAR in this span among pitchers with at least 80 innings pitched, has the worst FIP, and the third-worst ERA. Even during a four-start stretch from July 20 to August 5, where Elder had a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings, the peripherals looked terrifying, as he had a 5.01 FIP, over three runs higher than his ERA.
His most recent start against the Giants might have been the last straw for the Braves, as he allowed five runs in 5.1 innings against one of the worst teams in MLB. Initially slated to start the finale in the series versus the Phillies, the Braves instead opted to bump him when Grant Holmes had a rain-shortened start in Washington D.C.
According to Mark Bowman, Elder is having nagging knee pain, making it questionable why he remains on the active roster to begin with. The Braves are stating that this move to the bullpen is temporary, but it's also clear that the team doesn't trust Elder to provide meaningful innings against the Rays or the Phillies.
Elder has only made one relief appearance in his MLB career. He appeared as a long reliever back on August 6, 2022 when the Braves had a doubleheader against the Mets. Moving Elder and his below-average fastball velocity, average exit velocity, chase rate, whiff rate, and strikeout rate to the bullpen doesn't seem like a recipe for success, but it's possible that the Braves only plan to use him if the game is already out of hand.
Still, if the root of Elder's three-month long struggles are due to a knee injury, it would make much more sense to just move him to the IL and bring up a fresh reliever who has stuff that plays better out of the bullpen than what Elder can currently provide.
Add us as a preferred source on Google