Braves Starting Rotation Dealt Another Injury Blow, Reinstate Reliever

The Atlanta Braves are faced with a surprising blow to their starting rotation just as their bullpen gets healthier

Well, that happened | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves announced a stunning move to the injured list on Wednesday. Right-hander and rotation mainstay Spencer Schwellenbach has been placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to June 29 with a fractured right elbow.

In corresponding moves, right-hander Daysbel Hernández has been reinstated from the injured list, and he has returned from his rehab assignment. Right-hander Kevin Herget has been optioned to Triple-A, and left-hander Austin Cox has been recalled.

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This move comes completely out of left field. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball June 28 and threw 90 pitches. Schwellenbach said he experienced what he thought was tightness, but pitched through it. He realized it was something more than that when he woke up the next day.

He went in for imaging on Monday. He tried to go through the normal recovery routine on Sunday.

There is no clear timeline for his return. Schwellenbach said that because it's bone, it comes down to when he feels better. He aims to pitch again this year.

Schwellenbach used the term coronoid fracture, which occured around his right ulna. It's typically caused by an elbow dislocation or instability.

It's a small fracture. His UCL and flexor all looked good during the tests as well.

It's described as a freak accident. Schwellenbach said he thinks it could have been that the uptick in velocity when his elbow wasn't quite ready for it could have been a reason.

"It sucks," he said. "Sale went down, and as a staff, we have to pick up some slack, and now this happens. I feel horrible. Set a goal for myself to be healthy and throw a bunch of innings. It really sucks."

Schellenbach has a 3.09 ERA in 17 starts this season.

The rotation took another major blow. He, Chris Sale, AJ Smith-Shawver and Reynaldo Lopez are now all hurt. Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Didier Fuentes have some heavy lifting to do. We'll have to wait and see who becomes the fifth starter in the meantime.

Hernández will rejoin the back end of the bullpen. He has a 2.22 ERA in 25 appearances for the Braves this season. He had been thriving in the role of being the setup man in the eighth inning. How Snitker configures the bullpen for his return will be revealed soon enough.

Herget returns to Triple-A after a single appearance. He pitched a scoreless inning against the Angels Tuesday night in the 4-0 loss. Cox has made two appearances for the Braves this season. One outing saw him pitch a scoreless inning, while the other saw him allow a run over two innings.