Not even a week into MLB spring training, and the Atlanta Braves are being dealt tough news on the injury front. First, starter Spencer Schwellenbach went down with an elbow injury that will leave him out for the first two months of the season, and shortly after, Hurston Waldrep went down with elbow soreness.
Well, the verdict is in on Hurston Waldrep, who will undergo elbow surgery on Monday to remove loose bodies in his elbow. Schwellenbach has already undergone his surgery to fix the issue, and it’s expected that Waldrep will have a similar procedure. Either way, it’s fair to believe that both could return at some point during the season, but things need to go well on the rehab and recovery front first.
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What Does Waldrep Injury Mean for the Braves?
I’ve been covering both of these Braves injury developments as they’ve surfaced, but it seems like Alex Anthopoulos and the rest of the upper management feel comfortable with the team’s internal options.
Hurston Waldrep was no shoo-in to be in the Braves’ starting rotation to begin the season, but he put himself in a good position with strong numbers last season. He’s still a very young arm with lots of time to develop, but the Schwellenbach injury puts added pressure on some of the other Braves starters, like Grant Holmes and Spencer Strider, to be more productive in Schwellenbach’s absence.
GettyHurston Waldrep could be on the outside looking in when it comes to Atlanta’s 2026 roster.
It’s fair to believe that Bryce Elder and Martin Perez will likely get a handful of starts with Atlanta in 2026 after these recent updates and reports.
Atlanta could also look to either MLB free agency or the trade market to try and acquire a veteran arm, but the front office doesn’t seem too adamant about that either because it’s been reported they made no run at Chris Bassitt, and have not been engaged with Lucas Giolito.
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What Is Waldrep’s Recovery Timeline?
Braves manager Walt Weiss said on Wednesday that the team is not putting a recovery timeline on either Waldrep or Schwellenbach.
Since the injuries seem to be comparable, it’s important to note the initial diagnosis on Schwellenbach’s elbow issue is around a 3-4 month recovery timeline.
Waldrep will start the season on the 60-Day IL, and the best-case scenario would be that both pitchers are throwing again in May and could provide Atlanta’s rotation some stability come June and July.
Hurston Waldrep pitched to a 2.88 ERA over 56.1 innings in his first taste of the big leagues. He’s just 23 years old.
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Braves Get Final Decision on Hurston Waldrep Elbow Situation