Braves place Spencer Schwellenbach on 60-day injured list
NORTH PORT, Fla. — For the Braves, the hits keep coming before they’ve even started.
Starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach was placed on the 60-day injured list Monday, the club announced.
“Tough draw right outta the gate,” Braves first-year manager Walt Weiss said. “I worry about the kid. It’s a tough blow for (Schwellenbach). But it’ll clear opportunity for other guys; these types of things always do, and somebody steps up.
“I always say, before a season even starts, your pitching depth is gonna get tested. It’s inevitable. You’d rather it not be right away in February. We got a lot of capable guys in there and they’re gonna get a look, and that’s exciting. But I feel for (Schwellenbach) more than anything else. The kid has done some amazing things in a short time, and there’s still a bright future ahead of him. I’m sure it’s tough for him.”
Schwellenbach, 25, has not pitched since June 28. He missed the final three months of the 2025 season with a small fracture in his right elbow.
Bone spurs and inflammation in that same elbow are the cause of his newest IL stint. It is not an ulnar collateral ligament injury for the right-hander, Weiss said, adding that surgery is not expected.
“It’s gonna be significant time he’s gonna miss,” Weiss said.
The Braves simply have not been able to catch a break when it comes to the health of their starting rotation in recent history. Chris Sale, Grant Holmes, Spencer Strider and Reynaldo Lopez have all missed significant time in recent years because of an array of injuries.
Now the team will be without Schwellenbach, who was not present Monday at CoolToday Park when Braves’ pitchers and catchers reported for spring training. Weiss said Schwellenbach’s injury this month is unrelated to the one in 2025.
“He was doing great. He was throwing bullpens and everything was great. The last bullpen (session) he threw was a week-and-a-half ago, and it wasn’t great. That’s when the red flags went off,” Weiss said. “We’re hoping for the best, man. He’s a legitimate, top-of-the-rotation type guy. It hurts to lose a guy like that.”
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