At some point, something has to break the Atlanta Braves' way when it comes to their rotation, right? This week, it was revealed by manager Walt Weiss that there is a pretty decent chance that neither Spencer Strider nor Spencer Schwellenbach return this season unless there is a change in their current rehab trajectories. Making matters worse, the fixes the Braves have tried to employ have not worked very well.
Atlanta first turned to JR Ritchie to cover innings, and while he has shown some flashes of what he is capable of, his command isn't consistent enough to get big league hitters out with any regularity. With Martin Perez dealing with a forearm contusion after getting hit by a line drive, the Braves pivoted to Owen Murphy to see if he could be of use at the start of the second half.
Unfortunately, after a tough showing against the Rangers on Saturday, Murphy was sent back down to the minor leagues. As the corresponding roster move, RHP Elieser Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A, and it sounds like Perez will return and take Murphy's turn in the rotation this coming week.
Hernández will provide bullpen depth. Murphy’s rotation spot will be filled by Martin Perez this week https://t.co/RTB7nTKUF0
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 19, 2026
Braves send Owen Murphy back down to the minors with Martin Perez returning, but Atlanta needs more rotation help and soon
The Braves' thinking is pretty straightforward here. It doesn't take an expert to see that Murphy just isn't quite ready for the big leagues yet, so hopefully the extra seasoning down at Triple-A will do him some good. Getting Perez back does help the situation, and it makes sense to bring up Hernandez to give Atlanta a fresh bullpen in the interim while Perez isn't needed.
However, it is also true that the Braves are running out of levers to pull internally. AJ Smith-Shawver is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, but he still probably needs another start or two to bring his pitch count up to where it needs to be. Hurston Waldrep remains an option, but he is going to have to keep knocking the rust off and start throwing more strikes before that is feasible.
In short, the Braves need arms and soon. The trade deadline provides an opportunity to make some moves, but the deadline itself is a little later than usual this year on August 3, and Atlanta could use some help before then. Someone is going to have to step up, and unfortunately, the Braves are running out of options within the organization that can do so.
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