Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep To Undergo Elbow Surgery

Two Braves right-handers will undergo elbow surgery, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach is undergoing surgery for the same elbow fracture he dealt with last year while Hurston Waldrep will have Tommy John surgery.

The Atlanta rotation has taken a number of blows already this year and this news provides two more hits. Schwellenbach debuted a couple of years ago and has put up great numbers in the majors. Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he logged 234 1/3 innings, allowing 3.23 earned runs per nine. His 25.2% strikeout rate, 4.4% walk rate and 44.1% ground ball rate are all above-average figures.

But those numbers have been in stasis for quite a while now. Schwellenbach’s last appearance was in late June of last year. He was placed on the injured list in early July due to an elbow fracture. He missed the remainder of that campaign.

Coming into 2026, it wasn’t clear what the next steps would be but, as soon as camps opened in February, he was immediately placed on the 60-day IL due to elbow inflammation. Though players can be placed on the 60-day IL as soon as pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the clock doesn’t start ticking until the season begins, so that suggested Schwellenbach wasn’t expected back in the first two months of the regular season.

Shortly thereafter, it was announced that the righty would require surgery to remove loose bodies from that elbow. He was able to throw some bullpens this summer but never progressed to a rehab assignment. It seems that last year’s fracture has either lingered or been re-aggravated and will now require surgical intervention.

His exact timeline isn’t clear but it’s certainly season-ending. Whenever he is finally healthy, he will need a long time to ramp up after so spending so long on the shelf. At some point, the club will presumably have more information about the next steps and what they expect in 2027. He is already on the 60-day IL and will stay there through the end of the season. The IL goes away five days after the World Series.

Waldrep had an encouraging showing in the majors last year when he posted a 2.88 ERA over 56 1/3 innings. He struck out 24% of opponents, gave out walks at a 9.6% clip and induced grounders on 49.3% of balls in play.

Ideally, he would have built on that here in 2026 but it hasn’t played out that way. He was sidelined by elbow soreness in spring training and ultimately required surgery to remove loose bodies, at the same time as Schwellenbach. While Schwellenbach has remained sidelined, Waldrep was able to come off the injured list in June. Since then, he has been shuttled between Triple-A and the majors a few times.

Though he was able to get back on the mound before Schwellenbach, it appears that was a very temporary victory for Waldrep. He is now slated to miss the remainder of this season and also the entire 2027 campaign.

What’s also unfortunate for Waldrep is that he was optioned to the minors  in July. He is not currently collecting big league pay nor service time. The club could recall him and put him on the major league 60-day IL if they want to open a roster spot, but that would mean giving him that major league pay and service.

2026 will be his third option year, though he should be eligible for a fourth option in 2027. Teams can apply for a fourth option if a player has exhausted the first three and hasn’t yet played in five “full” seasons. Waldrep was only drafted in 2023 and would certainly qualify. If he holds onto his 40-man spot, it’s possible he’s on optional assignment through the end of 2027, covering his entire recovery process.

For the club, they are in a strong position in the standings with a 79-55 record and virtually guaranteed a playoff berth. Their current rotation consists of Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, Martén Pérez and AJ Smith-Shawver. Getting Spencer Strider off the IL is feeling less likely as time goes on. Reynaldo López has begun a rehab assignment and could get back into the mix. JR Ritchie and Owen Murphy are on optional assignment in the minors.