Anthopoulos confirms four members of Braves Opening Day rotation

At least on the outside, there were some questions about Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes. Both are coming off season-ending injuries, with López making just one start last year after dealing with fatigue-related injuries the year prior.

Given that and López’s past success as a reliever, there had to be at least some thought about moving him to the bullpen. But after the Spencer Schwellenbach news, that idea probably went out the window pretty fast. The same can be said for Grant Holmes, who has also had success out of the bullpen in the past.

The final spot is an open competition in camp as of now. There’s still a chance the Braves add a starting arm before the season begins, but if not, there appear to be three pitchers competing for one spot — Bryce Elder, Hurston Waldrep, and recently signed veteran Martín Pérez.

Many will point to the fact that Bryce Elder is out of options. That has to be taken into consideration, as Atlanta would like to keep as much depth in-house as possible, but so does his 5.59 ERA over the last two seasons. He shouldn’t be penciled in for anything. In fact, there’s a very real chance he’s designated for assignment with a poor Spring Training.

Martin Pérez could certainly see action at some point in 2026. He’s posted a respectable 4.24 ERA over the last two seasons and was an All-Star for the Rangers as recently as 2022, boasting a 2.89 ERA over 196.1 innings. At the very least, he’s a competent innings eater if another injury arises.

However, by far the most intriguing arm of the group is Hurston Waldrep, who enjoyed a breakout 2025 campaign, recording a 2.88 ERA over 56.1 innings in Atlanta. If the decision came strictly down to talent and winning games in April, there would be no debate — Waldrep would get the nod.

But championships are not won in April. The Braves are already severely lacking depth in their rotation, so prioritizing depth early on does make some sense. Still, Bryce Elder is going to have to show something in camp if he wants that spot to start the season.