Braves Needed Bryce Elder in 2025 More Than They Realize

Regardless of the struggles on the mound, Elder gave the Atlanta Braves what they were hard-pressed to get from other arms this season

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder was more important to this season than many would like to admit | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Think of who was supposed to be the top arms in the Atlanta Braves rotation at the start of the season. Think of who was expected to be a mainstay and clock in the lion’s share of innings. Those who chose Bryce Elder, assuming anyone did, should feel pretty good right now. 

Elder leads the team in starts (27), innings pitched (149 1/3) and, for good measure, is second on the staff in strikeouts (124) behind Chris Sale. He started the season in Triple-A, was sent back for a couple of weeks and was still able to pull this off. 

He was sent back to Triple-A to make room in the rotation for Spencer Strider, and he ended up pitching alongside Strider because Sale got hurt shortly after. 

That’s how chaotic this season has been for the Braves. None of the mainstays in the rotation, or at least the projected mainstays, were able to hang in there from a health standpoint from start to finish. Then, there is Bryce Elder. The one who prevailed, at least from this perspective. 

During these 27 starts, we’ve seen some of the best and the worst of Elder. Here’s a sample of stretches this season that paint the picture best.

• April 23 to June 7: Seven starts, 2.98 ERA, 1.03 WHIP
• June 13 to Aug. 19: 11 starts, 8.61 ERA, 1.96 WHIP
• Aug. 24 to Sept. 19: Six starts, 2.63 ERA, 1.01 WHIP

That third stretch of games includes a game where he allowed six earned runs on 10 hits. In the five other starts, his ERA is 1.35. He’s put on an All-Star performance as of late. It’s not like we haven’t seen it before, since he represented the Braves in the 2023 Midsummer Classic. 

It hasn’t always been pretty, far from it, but this team doesn’t hobble as well as it did to this point in the season without Elder. He was healthy and able to experience the ebbs and flows that others did not. 

If he had gone down, they truly would have looked like they were out of options. Perhaps we could have seen another series of bullpen days, which didn’t have a solid track record. 

Maybe the Braves try Waldrep sooner, which likely wouldn’t have gone as well, or tried another arm such as Nathan Wiles. The latter arm has pitched in the big leagues once this year and has been called up and sent down multiple times without even taking the mound. 

The reality is that Elder, while having his own issues at times, prevented another can of worms from being cracked open. They needed the rotation arm and he was just that. 

Even if he finishes the season strong, his expectations for 2026 will be just like what they were at the start of 2025. He’ll be there ready and waiting for when a pitcher is needed. 

We already know someone is going to get hurt. The last two seasons make it impossible to anticipate anything else. So, the Braves would be wise to have him somewhere in the organization ready and waiting. He’s shown he can step up.