Report: Braves Expected to Call Up Former Gators Pitcher

The Atlanta Braves will pull from their prospect pool to get another starter in the rotation. They’re expected to call up former Florida Gators pitcher and their No. 4 prospect Hurston Waldrep from Triple-A, per Atlanta Braves on SI’s Harrison Smajovits. He reportedly will take the ball to start the series opener against the Kansas City Royals on Monday. 

The Braves need starting pitching options. All five members of the Opening Day rotation are officially on the injured list. Waldrep will join a rotation that currently consists of Spencer Strider (Clemson), Bryce Elder (Texas) and Joey Wentz

Waldrep has been a question mark for most of the season about whether he could eventually get a spot in Atlanta. A recent turnaround has earned him a chance to see if he can do better than his first stint in the Majors. 

In his last six starts, he's had a 2.43 ERA in 33 1/3 innings pitched. He's allowed two runs or fewer in five of them and has given the Stripers at least five innings each time.  

Waldrep would be getting his second Major League stint. He made two starts last season, allowing 13 earned runs across seven combined innings pitched. He then went on the injured list before he could be sent back down to the minor leagues. He finally gets to show that things can be different for him. 

He was the Braves' first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, being drafted out of the University of Florida 24th overall. In his one season in Gainesville, Waldrep had a 4.16 ERA, a .238 opponent average and 156 strikeouts over 101 2/3 innings pitched. He was named Second Team All-American by D1 Baseball. 

He was part of the Florida Gators team that made it all the way to the College World Series final in 2023. They fell a win short of their second national championship in a rematch with LSU. 

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