The Atlanta Braves got some bad news on Tuesday with the 2026 season right around the corner. Reports indicate that starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach is going to miss a good chunk of the season due to an injury.
It's said that Schwellenbach, who is 25 years old, is being placed on the 60-day IL due to right elbow inflammation, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The Braves are hoping it's just bone spurs, but the club isn't taking any chances, as Schwellenbach will miss at least the first portion of the upcoming campaign.
“Spencer Schwellenbach is dealing with right elbow inflammation. The Braves are hoping he’s just dealing with bone spurs. But he’ll miss significant time. He’ll begin the year on the 60-day IL.”
Bowman also reports that Schwellenbach felt discomfort in his throwing arm while going through his normal preparations. Early belief is that the injury is not affecting the UCL, which is good news for Schwellenbach and the Braves. However, he is expected to miss most of the first half of the 2026 season.
“Schwellenbach was making normal preparations until he felt discomfort about 10 days ago. The good news is this doesn't seem to be a UCL issue. But even if this is just bone spurs, he will miss most of this season's first half.”
Spencer Schwellenbach is entering the third season of his career. However, it appears he will not make his 2026 debut for quite some time. Atlanta will likely have to rely on a starting rotation consisting of Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, Joe Wentz, Chris Sale, and possibly Grant Holmes.
Through two seasons of play, Schwellenbach has looked like a promising prospect for the Braves. Despite the injury concern right now, the future still looks bright for the star pitcher. He owns a career 3.23 ERA and 0.967 WHIP, along with 235 career strikeouts and a 57.7% winning percentage.
