Braves' Latest Roster Moves Create Opportunity for Top Prospect JR Ritchie

The Atlanta Braves are once again switching things up in their pitching staff, paving the way for top prospect JR Ritchie's second stint in the big leagues.

Ritchie, Atlanta's No. 2 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, has been called up to the majors. The Braves also announced on Wednesday that veteran pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been designated for assignment and right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. This makes it seem like the Braves could be bringing their young right-hander back to the big leagues as an option to provide length out of the bullpen.

The 22-year-old started the year by posting a 0.99 ERA through his first five Triple-A starts of the season, which led to his first promotion to the majors toward the end of April. Ritchie threw seven strong innings in his MLB debut, but he only made four more starts for the Braves after that before being sent back down to the minors on May 19. Right around three weeks later, though, Atlanta is giving the 2022 first-round draft pick another chance to toe the slab in the big leagues.

Will JR Ritchie be used as a starter or reliever in his second MLB stint?

Apr 23, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher JR Ritchie (56) pitches against Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (20) during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Following his first taste of action in the majors, Ritchie has made three starts with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. The young righty had one of his worst outings of the year on May 30, but he gave up just two earned runs in his other two appearances after his demotion.

Most notably, though, the 22-year-old has pitched in 13 games this year in Triple-A and the majors, all of which were starts. In fact, Ritchie has appeared in 55 minor league games since he was drafted with the 35th-overall pick in 2022, and 54 of those outings have been starts. The only relief appearance he's made in his minor league career came in 2024 with the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets. So, it'll be interesting to see how Ritchie performs if the Braves do plan on using him out of the bullpen.

With that in mind, Atlanta could also elect to use the highly touted prospect as a starter at some point this week to give the rest of the rotation an extra day off. Either way, it seems like Braves fans should expect to see Ritchie back on a big league mound soon.

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