The Atlanta Braves should be kicking themselves for not adding a legitimate free-agent starting pitcher over the offseason. Instead, they're peddling Bryce Elder stock to anyone who will listen. We've been down this road before, and we know how it ends. Not to mention, Grant Holmes feels shaky as a regular rotation member, and the depth options led by Cookie Carrasco and Joey Wentz leave something to be desired.
The injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep were a major blow, even if Atlanta believes they can both return at some point in 2026. The club also must feel like the other shoe is about to drop any time the brittle Reinaldo Lopez takes the mound, and at 37, Chris Sale can't carry as much weight as he used to.
Fortunately, Atlanta has a budding young hurler who could step in and help put things (somewhat) right in JR Ritchie, and the good news is giving him a shot at the Opening Day roster isn't a desperation heave because he's earning it.
JR Ritchie is proving that he belongs on the Braves Opening Day roster, potentially bailing out the club
Sometimes, in these situations, when multiple rotation injuries occur during spring training, a prospect is called up due to his proximity to the big leagues rather than his worthiness to be a part of the major league club.
So far this spring, that hasn't been the case with Ritchie, who has been impressive through his first two outings. In four innings of work, the 22-year-old has struck out six of the 13 batters he's faced, which is good for an eye-popping 46.2% strikeout rate. With just one walk and one hit on his ledger, he's proven to be very tough to hit in the early going.
Ritchie has also impressed his teammates. Boasting a six-pitch arsenal, his "Vulcan split" drew praise from 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin, who said he had trouble seeing it when he faced Ritchie in batting practice.
In a way, Ritchie knocking on the door is something of a surprise. The 35th overall pick in the 2022 draft hit the ground running by making his pro debut the same year, but 2023 was the year the highly touted youngster was supposed to truly take off. Unfortunately, he was limited to just 13 1/3 innings before Tommy John surgery ended his campaign, and then limited what he could do in 2024.
The setback led to him beginning the 2025 season in Hi-A Rome, but he'd quickly advance to Double-A Columbus, and then Gwinnett, where 59 2/3 of his 140 total frames came. Combined, he posted a 2.64 ERA, with a 3.02 mark coming against Triple-A competition.
The fast rise and success at every level finally got him admitted to MLB Pipeline's top-100 list, something that likely would've happened much sooner if not for the unfortunate injury. More importantly, the rapid rise showed that he was more ready than many thought coming into last year.
While four spring training innings isn't enough to draw any meaningful conclusions from, looking at it as a continuation of his stellar work in 2025 gives it more credence. If he keeps this up over the next couple of weeks, the Braves won't have a choice but to bring him north to Atlanta.