Atlanta Braves rotation reveal is bad news for one pitcher, thanks to Spencer Strider

We all knew this day was coming. Eventually, Spencer Strider would be making his triumphant return from the injured list and into the Atlanta Braves' starting rotation. While I do not know where he will be slotted into it once he returns, probably at or near the top I would suspect, his return would mean somebody else would be losing their spot in the rotation. We may have found out who that guy will be.

On Tuesday afternoon, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution shared out the Braves' starting rotation to begin the season. Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Schwellenbach and AJ Smith-Shawver will pitch in the first four games of the season vs. the San Diego Padres. That would have Grant Holmes toeing the rubber in the first game of the road series at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Conventional wisdom suggests that Holmes will be the one to go. Since he appears to be out of options, Holmes may end up going to the bullpen. He would be able to provide the long inning relief work the Braves might need. Regardless, I would say the Braves are in a far better situation with their starting rotation than most casual MLB fans even realize. But can the top three build off last season?

Sale won the NL Triple Crown, Lopez was an NL All-Star and Schwellenbach took the league by storm.

Strider's return will take pressure off Sale and slot the other guys into far more advantageous roles.

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Spencer Strider's return may push Grant Holmes back into the bullpen

Truth be told, I would not say that Smith-Shawver is in the clear just yet. He has not looked the part in his handful of starts with the Braves over the last few seasons. Schwellenbach had growing pains in the early part of summer last season before really coming on. Sale had the best year of his career, while Lopez continued to dazzle in his first real look as a full-time starter in a very, very long time...

What I am getting at is outside of Sale and Strider, how many of these guys are truly and undeniably locks to remain in the starting rotation? I would argue that Lopez and Schwellenbach have earned their keep, but a lot can change over the course of a year. It was not that long ago when Bryce Elder was an NL All-Star as part of the Atlanta rotation. I do feel good that we will not be doing that again.

Ultimately, whoever pitches better between Holmes and Smith-Shawver will get to keep their role in the Atlanta starting rotation. The latter could be sent to the bullpen, or down to Triple-A Gwinnett if either still have options. To me, this feels like it has been part of the Braves' plan all along. Just because we did not agree with it at the time does not mean it will end up being a bad plan for them.

All I know is for the Braves to go far in the postseason, the bats will have to match last year's pitching.