For most of the season, the Atlanta Braves have been selling the idea that they just have to survive until their rotation gets rotation again. No one denies that Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Spencer Strider are immensely talented, and there was some logic to planning for their return if the team really thought they would be coming back. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. Not at all.
After a series of non-updates over the last few weeks, the Braves revealed on Friday that not only are Waldrep, Schwellenbach, and probably Strider not returning in 2026, but both Waldrep and Schwellenbach need additional elbow surgeries that seem likely to keep them out for most or all of the 2027 season.
Hurston Waldrep will have Tommy John surgery and Spencer Schwellenbach will have surgery to repair the same elbow fracture he suffered last year. The Braves still aren’t saying Strider’s season is done. But that has been the assumption since June
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 28, 2026
Braves share disastrous injury update on their rotation that makes their trade deadline inaction look even worse
There is no sugarcoating this update. Waldrep is going to miss the 2027 season in all likelihood. Schwellenbach could as well, although his injury is weirder and more difficult to parse when it comes to recovery time. When the Braves opted to add only Tyler Mahle at the trade deadline to bolster the rotation, it was with the idea that Waldrep and/or Schwellenbach would be coming back to help, and that is no longer on the table.
In short, this is what the Braves have to work with in the rotation the rest of the season. Chris Sale is a stud, and Mahle has been pretty good so far despite some spooky peripherals. Getting AJ Smith-Shawver was terrific, and he is heading in the right direction. After that, you have Martin Perez, who is showing real signs of fading lately, as well as both Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes, who operate on very thin margins and who have had some discouraging performances lately. In Holmes' case, there is also no guarantee that his previous elbow injury won't flare up at any given moment.
This is the danger in Alex Anthopoulos' strategy. For reasons known to him and his inner circle, Anthopoulos has shown little willingness to add true reliable starting pitching at the current market rate for them. It is all well and good to stick to your guns as to how much starters are actually worth, but you still need at least five dependable starters and probably more. As the Braves are finding out right now, not having that depth can be extremely costly.
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