Atlanta's young starter will miss at least two months to begin the 2026 season after a tough injury update on the first day of spring training camp.
The Atlanta Braves were hoping for a fresh start when pitchers and catchers reported to spring training on Tuesday morning, but devastating news hit the club before camp even got rolling.
According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Spencer Schwellenbach is dealing with right elbow inflammation and will begin the 2026 season on the 60-day injured list.
The Braves are hoping that the 25-year-old right-hander is just dealing with bone spurs and nothing more serious, but either way he is going to miss a big chunk of time.
Since the 60-day IL clock starts on Opening Day and can only be backdated by three days at most, Schwellenbach is guaranteed to miss at least the first two months of the regular season no matter what happens from here.
A Familiar and Frustrating Problem
This is not the first time Schwellenbach's right elbow has caused problems.
Last season he was in the middle of a breakout year when he suffered a fractured elbow in late June during what the team called a freak accident.
At the time of the injury he had posted a 3.09 ERA with a 0.967 WHIP and 108 strikeouts across 17 starts, and he was looking like a legitimate Cy Young candidate if he could keep it up through the rest of the year.
The Braves initially thought Schwellenbach might return by September, but that never happened and he did not pitch again after June 28.
Schwellenbach did not undergo surgery on the fracture and instead entered the offseason hoping that rest alone would get him right for spring training.
That decision now looks like it may have backfired, as the elbow inflammation popping up this early is a troubling sign for a pitcher the Braves are counting on to be a core piece of their rotation for years to come.
A Brutal Blow for a Team Looking to Bounce Back
Atlanta is desperate to get back on track in 2026 after finishing 76-86 last season and missing the postseason for the second straight year.
Injuries played a massive role in that collapse, as every starter from the Opening Day rotation spent time on the injured list at some point during the year.
The Braves brought in new manager Walt Weiss and made several offseason moves with the goal of returning to the playoffs, but losing Schwellenbach before the season even begins is a painful setback.
Through his first two big league seasons, Schwellenbach has put up a 3.23 ERA with 235 strikeouts and a 1.007 WHIP across 234.1 innings, and he has looked like a future ace when healthy.
Now the Braves will have to figure out how to fill that void, with Hurston Waldrep likely sliding into a rotation spot and top prospect JR Ritchie also in the mix if other candidates are not ready.
The loss of Schwellenbach also puts more pressure on the front office to potentially add a veteran arm from the remaining free agent market.
Names like Chris Bassitt and Jordan Montgomery are still available and could help fill the gap while Schwellenbach works his way back.
For a franchise that watched injuries tear apart its 2025 season, this is the last thing the Braves wanted to hear on the first day of camp.
The hope is that bone spurs are the extent of the issue and that Schwellenbach can return at full strength later this summer, but there is no getting around the fact that his absence will test Atlanta's depth early in the year.