Braves Plan to Be Cautious with Spencer Schwellenbach, Strider Progressing

One Spencer is further along in his return to the Atlanta Braves, while another will have to take a slower road back to the mound

Both Spencers in the Braves rotation see updates at the GM Meetings | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Two important updates on the Atlanta Braves injury front have emerged. According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chad Bishop, right-hander Spencer Strider is expected be back sometime in the spring. These updates came from the ongoing General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, the team aims to be more cautious with right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach. They plan to be much slower with his recovery, and he's not expected to be ready for the start of the 2027 season.

Couple updates from Alex Anthopoulos on Tuesday:

• Spencer Strider on track to be ready for spring/start of the season

• Team wanting Spencer Schwellenbach to take his comeback much more slowly and it’s unlikely right now he would be ready for the start of the ‘27 season

— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) November 10, 2026

Schwellenbach hasn't pitched in an MLB game since June 2025. He initially suffered a fractured elbow elbow. As he started to build up during spring training, it was revealed in the first week that he'd need an elbow procedure. It cost him the entire 2026 season.

During his recovery, he suffered another elbow fracture, which required another procedure. At this point, it's clear that they have no choice but to be extra cautious. At this point, his career is in a troubling spot.

Strider suffered an oblique injury right before opening day, and while he did see action during the 2026 season, more injuries arose, and he was done for the season after June.

As the projection currently goes, there is at least some hope that Strider. Schwellenbach is still in limbo.

All this team can do at this point is that both can comeback in some serviceable manner. Whatever the path was last time, it didn't work for either. With Schellenbach, that change in direction is clear. For Strider, we'll if this one works well.

For the sake of both of their careers, you hope there is some approach that can work out for either of them.

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