Friday's Braves-Pirates game will be important.
The Atlanta Braves' starting pitching questions have been discussed on a consistent basis throughout spring training. The team did not address the rotation during the offseason, and now injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep and Joey Wentz have the ball club in a difficult position. One starter who is competing for a rotation spot at the moment is Bryce Elder.
Elder is expected to start Friday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It will be a crucial start as Atlanta looks to make its starting rotation official for the 2026 regular season.
Bryce Elder Competing for Starting Rotation Spot
Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes are expected to be in the rotation. The No. 5 spot remains available, however. Elder has a realistic opportunity of landing the role, but his spring training performance has been far from ideal.
The right-handed hurler will enter Friday's contest with a 4.73 spring training ERA across four starts. He has recorded 12 strikeouts and five walks in his 13.1 innings of work on the mound.
The situation would be different if the 26-year-old had pitched well in 2025. However, Elder turned in a 5.30 ERA across 28 starts during the '25 campaign. He was an All-Star back in 2023, but his performance has not been the same since.
If Elder struggles on Friday night, one has to wonder if Atlanta will go in a different direction.
Martin Perez and JR Ritchie are among the other candidates for the role. It remains to be seen if Atlanta would consider a six-man starting rotation. Either way, the Braves have other options if they decide to go with someone other than Elder.
As of this story's writing, it still does seem that Elder will at least be given an opportunity to start the season in Atlanta with the Braves as part of the rotation. If he struggles at an alarming rate on Friday night, though, then the Braves could have an even more difficult decision to make.
Elder can certainly help his case by performing well. A strong start would surely give the ball club a pivotal confidence boost with Opening Day less than a week away.
Bryce Elder is set to make his most important start of spring training on Friday night. First pitch for the Braves and Pirates clash is scheduled for 6:05 PM EST in what should be an intriguing ball game.