Despite Jurickson Profar's return and the Atlanta Braves comeback victory over the Angels on Wednesday night, the day was completely soured when fans learned of the shock injury to budding ace Spencer Schwellenbach. As it stands, Grant Holmes is the only member of the Opening Day rotation left standing.
Alex Anthopoulos has repeatedly told media members he has no intention of selling at the trade deadline, but in order to keep that promise immediate action is needed for the rotation. No one can adequately replace what Spencer Schwellenbach was doing, but the guy who gets the first chance is likely a familiar face to Braves fans.
Jackson Stephens likely the first arm to get a chance in the rotation
Stephens is not the most exciting option, but he is at least a known commodity that can go through the lineup once. It doesn't hurt that Stephens has also been pitching pretty well in Triple-A Gwinnett this season. On the year, Stephens owns a 3.21 ERA in just under 30 innings since his debut a few weeks ago.
Stephens hasn't spent a ton of time in the majors since his 2022 season in Atlanta where Snitker deployed him for numerous multi-inning outings. However, the Braves simply don't have many other options to turn to at this point. Atlanta will be forced to account for Schwellenbach's spot in the rotation at least twice before we reach the All-Star break.
An absolute GEM of an outing from Jackson Stephens in his first start of 2025. 👏
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) June 21, 2025
4.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 1 BB | 9 SO pic.twitter.com/vXxHeqEkem
Post All-Star break could be the time for Anthopoulos to make his move for a more permanent solution to Schwellenbach's expected month-plus absence. The sad truth is that it's hard to pull off a trade for a quality starting pitcher this far from the trade deadline. If the Braves were to acquire someone outside the organization, it would likely be a Yonny Chirinos 2023 type of guy who is moments away from being DFA'd.
Instead, Anthopoulos will likely have to wait until the last week of July, and by that time we'll have a clearer picture of Atlanta's postseason chances. Should the Braves have a good couple weeks before the trade deadline, veteran rental pitchers like Andrew Heaney or Charlie Morton could be the corresponding move Anthopoulos swoops in and makes a deal for.