It seems that the Atlanta Braves have consistently battled the injury bug over the last couple of seasons. Despite the hope the organization had for 2026, they find themselves in familar but uncomfortable territory.
Deja vu hit Atlanta hard earlier this month when outfielder/DH Jurickson Profar tested for PEDs yet again and will be suspended for the entire upcoming campaign. Additionally, in his first year as the Braves' skipper, Walt Weiss has some voids to fill in his starting rotation with Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both having procedures on their throwing elbows.
Veteran left-hander Chris Sale and flame-throwing (well maybe) Spencer Strider will be a solid one-two punch but after that, their are a lot of question marks. Reynaldo Lopez is set to return to the rotation after battling injuries a season ago. Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder are currently projected to round out the bottom of the Braves rotation.
Let's face it. No matter how good the Braves offense is, this is not exactly a starting rotation that many people would fear outside of Sale and Strider who both can have issues of their own. Atlanta needs to keep their minds open to any potential paths they can take to strengthen their starting pitching. Let's take a look at some internal and external options Alex Anthopoulos may have to patch up the Braves' rotation.
JR Ritchie
Spring Training is the time for young players to prove they have what it takes to be productive at the highest level. Right-hander JR Ritchie proved his potential for the Braves on Sunday with an impressive outing.
JR Ritchie against the Phillies:
— Milb Central (@milb_central) March 15, 2026
4.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 0 ER | 0 BB | 6 SO
(Via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/HKxIxALaCs
The 2022 first-round draft pick went four innings without allowing a hit and struck out six batters. Even more impressive, he did not issue a free pass. We know the strikeout rate in baseball is higher these days, but the way Ritchie was able to put hitters away made it feel like he belongs on a big league mound.
Consistently ahead in the count, Ritchie was in a position to display his entire repertoire and he did just that. His strikeouts ranged from freezing hitters with a heater to having them chase nasty off-speed pitches out of the zone. He even showed the confidence to use his breaking ball in a full count sceanrio which is rare in a young hurler.
A season ago, Ritchie worked his way up from A+ to AA and all the way to AAA. Across all three levels in 26 starts, he posted a 2.64 ERA striking out 140 in 140 innings pitched. His constant progression and
Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito is one of the biggest names still remaining on the free agent market, however, their are some unattractive attributes that come with the veteran right-hander. While his 2025 numbers look like a solid number 4 or number 5 starter, his projectons for 2026 are much worse and his expected ERA in 2025 was much higher than his actual, implying a combination of run support and luck were on his side.
Signing Giolito would be a high-risk, high-reward situation for the Braves. Situations like this are not exactly GM Alex Anthopoulos' forte but let's play the "what if" game for a minute.
If Atlanta could add Giolito to their roster, it would add tremendous depth. Even if it is something as simple as putting Giolito in the rotation and moving Grant Holmes to the bullpen, it could make a massive difference for the Braves.
By no means would Giolito need to be an all-star in Atlanta to make a difference. Weiss just simply needs someone at the back end of that rotation who can keep them in ballgames every fifth day. It has already been proven time and time again Bryce Elder is not that guy.
The biggest downside to this hypothetical is that Giolito would almost certainly be asking for more than he is actually worth. He is just 30 years of age and has four 30+ start seasons and an All-Star Game appearance on his resume. In the world of baseball business, he actually still has a little bit of leverage to be greedy when it comes to a contract as hard as that is to believe. It is unlikely the Braves will seriously pursue Giolito because of the money but on paper, he seems like a perfect fit.
Didier Fuentes
With the free agent market so watered down, especially this close to the start of the season, the Braves are far more likely to look internally for pitching options. Didier Fuentes could be another name to look out for in 2026.
Fuentes actually appeared in four big league games a season ago and struggled heavily. He was just 19 years old at the time so it is hard to judge his potential based on four bad outings. Fuentes has a pitch mix of a mid to upper 90s fastball, a biting sweeper and curve to go along with a bottom-falling splitter.
Fuentes has made just two appearances this spring for Atlanta but he has certainly made the most of them. In five innings of work, he has not allowed a hit or a walk and has struck out nine batters. With his explosive stuff, don't be surprised if this youngster finds his way into the Braves rotation by the end of the season.