Holmes Brings Hopeful Update for Braves, Further Doubts Surround Jiménez

It's a mix of the good and the bad as the Atlanta Braves juggle an array of injuries on the pitching staff

The Braves have hope for one injury, but not so much for another | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

One recovering pitcher continues to be promising for the 2026 season. Another's future grows bleaker. Atlanta Braves starter Grant Holmes had positive news the day after his side session (bullpen) on Tuesday.

He said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chad Bishop, that he is at 100% and is fully ready to go for spring training. Based on this report, we can expect him to get normal reps in games once that part of the schedule gets underway. He has been rehabbing a partially torn UCL that he sustained back in July.

It provides a breath of fresh air after the array of injury news that hit the team to start workouts. While we don't know what's the long-term status of a couple of arms, there is some certainty that one could be ready for the season.

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Holmes wasn't guaranteed a spot on the roster, let alone the rotation, ahead of spring training. However, with the recent updates, it's safe to say that, at this time, he's on track to be part of the opening day roster.

Even if the Braves sign someone, the latest updates, specifically regarding Spencer Schwellenbach, put him in the position to be a frontrunner to get a rotation spot.

Holmes made 22 appearances, 21 starts, last season before his injury. He pitched to a 3.99 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP with 123 strikeouts in 115 innings pitched. The Braves injury bug got so bad last season that despite not seeing the mound for the final two months of the season, he finished fourth in innings pitched.

Any experienced, effective option who can get healthy puts the Braves in a better spot. Holmes is on track to be a huge help.

Following workouts on Wednesday, manager Walt Weiss didn't have high hopes for reliever Joe Jiménez this season, who went on the 60-day injured list the night before. He's still trying to recover from a knee injury that's been plaguing him for well over a year now, and it's unknown if he'll be able to pitch at all this season.

Jiménez pitched to a 2.62 ERA in his most recent season in the majors back in 2024. He picked up three saves, but typically had the eighth inning under lock across 68 1/3 innings pitched. In case anyone was curious, he had 27 holds, which means he kept the opponent at bay in a save situation for the next reliever.