Braves fans woke up to disturbing news Monday morning that Spencer Strider, the presumed #2 pitcher in the rotation, was going on the IL with an oblique strain. Strider, who is coming off a 7-14 season with a 4.45 ERA, returned last season after his season-ending UCL injury in 2024. His velocity and control were both concerns last season, but the Braves were hoping he would return to his 2022/2023 form after a full offseason to train and recover. Strider dealt with a similar oblique issue in 2022, ending the season on the IL but returning for the playoffs against the Philadelphia Phillies. But what does this mean for the Braves rotation to start the season?
The good news for Braves fans is that Chris Sale is still alive and well. The 36-year-old
lefty will be the opening day starter, and for good reason. He finished last season with
a 7-5 record and a 2.58 ERA even when the season was lost. He has proven to be a
true leader in the Braves clubhouse and a great #1 starter. The Braves certainly feel
great about Chris Sale, but after that is where things start to get murky…
The presumed No. 2 starter for the Braves will now be Reynaldo Lopez. Reynaldo only
made one start last season before going on the IL with shoulder surgery. The Braves
were hoping to get Reynaldo back at some point last season, but unfortunately, that
never happened. He has looked okay so far in spring training, but concern arose after
his start on Sunday when his fastball velocity was hovering in the 87-90mph range.
Reynaldo played it off by saying he was dealing with “mechanical issues” that he has
since fixed, but it’s hard to imagine “mechanical issues” causing that big of a drop in
velocity. Even if that’s the case, that’s not something you want to hear from your No. 2
starter on his last Spring Training start before the season begins.
Grant Holmes, who has bounced back and forth between the bullpen and rotation, has
firmly landed himself in the rotation to start the 2026 season. He ended last season with
a 4-9 record and 3.99 ERA in 21 starts. Holmes looked amazing during certain points of
last season, including his 15-strikeout game against the Rockies (But who doesn’t look
great against the Rockies?). Holmes was a promising part of the rotation last season
and with an improved slider, he looks to be an integral part of the rotation this year.
The No. 4 starter will most likely be everyone’s favorite pitcher…yes, you guessed it: Bryce
Elder. Elder ended last season with a 5.30 ERA in 28 starts. He ended the season
strong with two straight starts of 7 innings pitched. The problem for Elder has been
consistency. While having multiple starts of seven innings, he also had multiple games of
giving up 5+ runs. Braves fans may not want to hear it, but we will most likely be seeing
A LOT of Bryce Elder this season.
The last spot in the rotation will be between José Suarez, Martin Perez, Didier Fuentes,
and maybe JR Ritchie. José Suarez will most likely get the 5 th starter spot to begin the
season as he has looked pretty good in Spring Training so far. Martín Pérez has also
looked good in Spring Training, posting a 2.84 ERA, but will need to be stretched out a
little more before he can be a staple in the rotation. The most exciting options for the
last rotation spot are between Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie. Fuentes is only 20 years
old, but we got to see his promise last season in the majors. In his four MLB starts last
season, Fuentes looked, well…like a 19-year old. He had control issues, which caused
his pitch count to rise. But in spring training, he has a 0.66 ERA with 18 strikeouts in
only 13.2 innings. Manager Walt Weiss has stated that while Fuentes will be on the
opening day roster, he will be coming out of the bullpen. Even after the Strider injury,
Weiss has stood by that statement.
And then there’s JR Ritchie. Ritchie was recently reassigned to minor league camp but has looked very promising in spring training with a 2.25 ERA. He will probably need some more time in the minors, but we can expect to see him sometime in the 2026 season. All of this to say, get well soon Spencer! Per Mark Bowman, the Braves are hoping this will be a short-term IL stint for Strider, but with obliques you just never know. We hope it’s only a few weeks, but the Braves will need to do whatever they can to avoid another 0-7 start to their season like they did last year. The 2026 Atlanta Braves will be a fun
team to watch this year, but a lot of the focus will be on the starting rotation to start the
season.
