Alex Anthopoulos Delivers Offseason Injury Updates on 2 Atlanta Braves Pitchers

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos provided two very different updates on a couple of starting pitchers in Las Vegas earlier this week.

Spencer Strider is on track to be ready for spring training and Opening Day. Spencer Schwellenbach is not. The team wants him to take his comeback a lot slower, per Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Strider made eight starts in 2026 before right elbow inflammation forced him out of a June outing against the New York Mets. He finished 4-2 with a 5.31 ERA and 46 strikeouts across 39 innings.

It was another shortened season for a pitcher who had Tommy John surgery in 2019 and an internal brace procedure on his elbow in 2024. He returned for 23 starts and a 4.45 ERA across 125 1/3 innings in 2025. Getting a full healthy season out of Strider has been the question for three years. Anthopoulos is cautiously optimistic he gets one in 2027.

Schwellenbach's situation is more complicated. He has not pitched in the majors since June 28 of 2025, when he fractured his right elbow against the Philadelphia Phillies.

He had surgery in February 2026 to remove bone spurs, then needed a second procedure in August to insert a screw and stabilize the fracture after the rehabilitation stalled. That second surgery ended his 2026 season before it started and pushed his timeline into serious uncertainty. Anthopoulos did not commit to a 2027 return date.

Schwellenbach was developing into one of the better young starters in the National League before the injury. He went 8-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 21 starts in 2024, then posted a 3.09 ERA with 108 strikeouts and only 18 walks in 110 2/3 innings in 2025. That is a pitcher worth waiting on. The Braves just do not know how long they will have to wait.

Atlanta finished 94-68 and won the NL East by six games over the Phillies despite getting limited contributions from both pitchers. Chris Sale was the ace of the staff and the bullpen remained dominant. But the rotation is looking questionable heading into 2027, and Anthopoulos knows it.

Strider available from day one does change the offseason a bit, but the Braves need depth. Schwellenbach missing another two or three months does not crater the season, but it does raise the floor on what Atlanta needs to add this winter.

The Braves have already been connected to free-agent starters. It just depends how much money they are willing to commit.