Schwellenbach to Miss Significant Time, Will Braves Add a Starter?

The Atlanta Braves have already been dealt an early blow to their starting rotation; this could be what forces their hand to add a needed veteran starter

Rotation woes are already back for the Atlanta Braves | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The first day of pitcher and catcher workouts isn't even complete, and starting rotation woes are already a headache for the Atlanta Braves. Spencer Schwellenbach will miss significant time. He will start the season on the 60-day injured list with elbow inflammation.

The #Braves today signed C Jonah Heim to a one-year major league contract for the 2026 season, and placed RHP Spencer Schwellenbach on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) February 10, 2026

He was notably missing from camp on Tuesday. The injury was indicated to be the reason why. The Braves reportedly are hoping he's just dealing with bone spurs.

However, elbow inflammation can be a sign of a more severe issues, such as a UCL injury. For those reasons, they have to be as cautious as they can. They alredy lost Schwellenbach for much of last season due to a fractured right elbow.

During the 2024 season, Schwellenbach produced a surprise run as a rookie when the Braves were desperate for a rotation arm. He naturally earned a spot in the rotation for the 2025 season, providing what was initally viewed as a durable arm with a solid defense to go along with it.

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Manager Walt Weiss expressed that he felt bad for Schwellenbach having to deal with another setback. On the flip side, he knows that this is a chance for someone else to jump in.

"It'll create opportunity for other guys," Weiss said, via 11Alive, Atlanta's local NBC TV affiliate. "These types of things always do, and somebody steps up. I always say before a season even starts your pitching depth is going to get tested."

As of now, the guaranteed spots in the rotation go to Chris Sale and Spencer Strider. Reynaldo López reportedly has a spot based on previous comments from general manager Alex Anthopoulos, so that leaves two spots for the taking with this latest injury.

Someone else may be needed to step in with Schwellenbach out for a significant portion of next season. While they have in-house options such as Grant Holmes and Hurston Waldrep, this could potentially force their hand to sign a veteran starting pitcher. When the depth gets tested, sometimes it is a sign that they need reinforcements.

They had already been in the hunt for the right guy. So far, despite reports of interest on the free-agent and trade markets, it's been no dice. The latest interest showed them eyeing Lucas Giolito and Chris Bassitt for the rotation. At the time of this article's publication, both starters are still on the market.

If they do sign one of them or somebody else, it would likely come soon. When Ha-Seong Kim went down with an injury, they didn't take long to add shortstop Jorge Mateo.

If they don't add a free agent starting pitcher, another potential candidate to step in is JR Ritchie, their No. 2 prospect in the system. He is expected to make his MLB debut this season and is in big league camp this year.