Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz suffered an injury scare in a recent spring training game. On Monday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com provided a devastating injury update on the pitcher. According to Bowman, Wentz will miss the 2026 season with a torn ACL.

The report comes after initial tests on Sunday suggested Wentz may have avoided a serious injury, per Bowman. On Monday, the team's worst fears were confirmed, as the pitching staff was dealt another unfortunate blow.

The Braves are already expected to be without starting pitchers Spencer Strider and Hurston Waldrep for a significant amount of time due to elbow injuries. Wentz was expected to compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation along with Bryce Elder. The Braves have four pitchers set to be in the rotation in Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes.

Monday's news means Elder has a better opportunity of making the final rotation. Other starting pitching candidates could still compete for the No. 5 role, though.

Losing Wentz is far from ideal to say the least. He will do everything he can to bounce back next year after missing 2026. 

Wentz, 28, joined the Braves during the 2025 season. He also spent time with the Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates last year. Between the three ball clubs, the southpaw turned in a 5.60 ERA.

14 of his 39 total appearances came with Atlanta in 2025. He recorded a more respectable but still far from terrific 4.92 ERA with the Braves. 13 of his 14 outings with the Braves were starts as well.

Atlanta just cannot seem to catch a break this spring. As mentioned, Waldrep and Schwellenbach are battling injuries. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is expected to miss the first month or two of the season due to an injury as well. Designated hitter Jurickson Profar is facing a potential 162-game suspension for PED usage (Profar is appealing the suspension).

The Braves' outlook for the '26 campaign is not in a great spot, but the team still does feature talent on the roster. Atlanta could still compete, but the ball club will need each of their current healthy starting pitchers to not only avoid injury, but pitch at especially high levels. The Braves know Sale is an ace, but they will need guys like Strider, Lopez and Holmes to step up in a pivotal manner.