Braves set to make several changes to their rotation

Coming into the season, the Braves rotation was a significant concern, especially after the injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep. They were able to hide those glaring issues over the first couple of months, but the warts are out in the open now. As currently constructed, this is among the worst rotations in baseball, and without significant changes, things are only likely to get worse.

The hope is that a knight in shining armor will appear at some point prior to the trade deadline. It goes against everything we know about general manager Alex Anthopoulos — who has never paid the price for quality starting pitchers, whether via trade or free agency — but the Braves don’t really have a choice if they want to chase a championship. They must improve this facet of the roster, and not with just another middle-of-the-rotation arm — it has to be a frontline starter.

But one rotation upgrade isn’t enough. The Braves need two or three, and the rest is going to have to come internally. That process is beginning this week. Atlanta sent JR Ritchie back to Gwinnett on Wednesday, opening up a slot for Reynaldo Lopez, who has spent the last two months in the bullpen.

An All-Star just a couple of years ago as a member of the Braves rotation, Lopez had fatigue catch up to him towards the end of the 2024 campaign and he was never able to recover. He was shut down to end that season, and after just one start in 2025, he underwent shoulder surgery that kept him out the rest of the year.

The Braves tried him out to begin this season in the rotation, but the stuff didn’t quite look right, even if the results weren’t terrible. That led to the move to the bullpen, where the repertoire is beginning to look more like what we saw when he recorded a sub-2.00 ERA back in 2024.

“Lopez’s return to the rotation comes after he allowed just one hit and one unearned run over three innings in Sunday’s loss to the Brewers. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.3 mph during the 58-pitch effort,” Braves beat reporter Mark Bowman writes. “This pitch averaged 95.5 mph when he posted a 1.99 ERA over 26 appearances (25 starts) in 2024. But before Sunday, this year’s average velo was 94.2 mph.”

The Braves don’t need Lopez to be an All-Star; they just need him to be an upgrade over the likes of JR Ritchie, Bryce Elder, and Grant Holmes.

Atlanta also has a couple of injured arms on the mend. Hurston Waldrep could make his return to the major-league club any day now after tossing 71 pitches in his last rehab start, and AJ Smith-Shawver is set to begin his rehab assignment today. Those are two high-powered arms oozing with upside. But it’s important to remember that not only are they returning from major injuries, but they are also relatively inexperienced and unproven arms. Expectations must be tempered, but it would be incredible if at least one of them could step up and become a staple of the rotation for the remainder of the season.

The good news is — even with all of the injuries and inconsistencies — the Braves still have a lot of high upside options. However, what was once a long list of 9 or 10 arms is dwindling quickly. Atlanta desperately needs something to break their way.