During the Atlanta Braves‘ spring training game on Sunday, there was a slight injury scare when starter Joey Wentz went to cover first base on a bunt in the fifth inning, but he landed on the base awkwardly and had to be removed from the game via a cart by the Braves’ trainers.
Wentz is one of the Braves’ top starting pitchers that may not break with the club, which means he is likely to be a starter Atlanta calls up if they endure any injuries, at least for the first couple of months of the season, as Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep recover from elbow injuries. The Braves’ 2025 starting pitching troubles have been well-documented, but Joey Wentz was a name that received a handful of innings.
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Joey Wentz Right Leg Injury Update
GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 26: Joey Wentz #33 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Truist Park on September 26, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images)
While being carted off, it appeared that Joey Wentz’s right leg had been injured on the play, but Mark Bowman of MLB.com has since reported that the cart ride might have been a precautionary one, and Wentz will undergo tests to determine the severity of the injury. Initial examinations indicate that Wentz likely isn’t dealing with anything too serious.
Naturally, this isn’t an ideal scenario, but the Braves could really use some good news on this situation, as it would just be yet another injury to a Braves depth player before the season has even started. There are going to be injuries to every single MLB team, like there is every year in every organization, so the thought that Wentz could end up getting big league starts in 2026 is not far-fetched. Especially given how shaky Bryce Elder is as an option.
Wentz, 28, pitched in MLB with three different teams in 2025, and posted a 5.60 ERA over 98 total innings with the Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Minnesota Twins. When you break down those innings, his tenure with the Braves was by far the best out of the bunch. He posted a 4.92 ERA over 64 innings and 13 starts. He has a little over two years of MLB service time, and if the Braves want to keep Joey Wentz, he’s under team control for the next few years.
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Other Braves News
In other Braves news, Ozzie Albies just hit a walk-off three-run home run to give the Netherlands a much-needed pool play win.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is also away from the team, playing with Venezuela, which is off to a good start in the WBC.
As far as spring training, the Atlanta Braves have a couple of open position battles it seems like, but the team continues to win with some of their core pieces playing a majority of games.
It’s a really good strategy for the Braves, who had such a bad start to the 2025 season that they seem to be doing everything in their power to make sure the star players (Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, Mike Yastrzemski) are feeling great heading into the new campaign.
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Braves News: Joey Wentz Carted Off Field in Spring Training Game But Injury Considered ‘Not Serious’