The Atlanta Braves have gotten some tough injury news in the pitching department lately, with Spencer Schwellenbach out for the opening chunk of the 2026 season due to an injury, and Hurston Waldrep also experiencing some concerns. The news comes just weeks before the Braves are slated to kick off their 2026 regular season.
On Wednesday, the Braves got a rough injury update on both Waldrep and Schwellenbach.
“Spencer Schwellenbach underwent surgery to remove loose bodies today. Hurston Waldrep will undergo a similar procedure on Monday. The Braves aren’t providing a timeline. Weiss said he hopes both will be able to pitch again this year,” reported Mark Bowman of MLB.com on X, formerly Twitter.
The fact that there isn't a recovery timeline is certainly not promising. Many Braves fans were clamoring for the team to go out and sign another starting pitcher even before the Waldrep news was announced, and now, those calls are likely to grow even louder.
The Braves' pitching staff was similarly decimated by injuries during the 2025 season, but that wasn't the only issue that Atlanta experienced during that year, as the team saw multiple key members of its batting order also experience significant regression at the plate.
Atlanta will be hoping that what's left of the pitching staff can hold down the fort while those players look to round back into form in the early half of the upcoming season.
In any case, the Braves' 2026 campaign is slated to get underway in late March with a series against the Kansas City Royals.
