The Atlanta Braves' lefty pitcher suffered a serious injury in their spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Unfortunately for the Atlanta Braves, the worst-case scenario was confirmed on Monday as they lost yet another starting pitcher. Lefty pitcher Joey Wentz suffered an injury during their Sunday spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays while covering first base, causing him to leave the game via being carted off the field. While initial tests reportedly said that there was no serious injury, subsequent ones revealed that the reality for Wentz is brutal. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported Monday that Wentz tore his ACL and therefore will miss the 2026 campaign, which is devastating to their rotation.
It’s a tough reality for the Braves as they already anticipate to be without starting Spencer Strider and Hurston Waldrep for considerable time, both with elbow injuries and surgery to recover from. That propelled Wentz up to compete for the No. 5 spot with Bryce Elder to settle into a rotation of Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes. Now, Elder will look to be the frontrunner, though Atlanta will look at other candidates in light of this harsh update.
Here is the full story from Braves Roundtable writer Joey Mistretta on the awful news out of Atlanta.
Wentz went 5-7 with a 5.60 ERA pitching for three teams last season, joining the Braves after time with the Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates. Of his 39 total appearances, 14 were for Atlanta – with 13 of 14 being starts – where he pitched a 4.92 ERA. Unfortunately for both Wentz and the Braves, the southpaw will no longer have a chance to build on that as part of Atlanta’s plans in 2026.