Much like last season, the Atlanta Braves had to start 2025 far from completely healthy. Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is still sidelined from an ACL tear, they just got starting catcher Sean Murphy back after a rib fracture in spring training and starting pitcher Spencer Strider is working back from elbow surgery.
Atlanta is slowly but surely nearing full strength, as Murphy returned earlier this week and gave the Braves an offensive boost they were desperate for. With Strider looking dominant in his three rehab starts, the former 20-game winner is expected to rejoin the Braves’ rotation very soon. That will cause some major roster shakeups, and it puts a lot of added pressure on Atlanta’s Friday night starter in particular.
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Braves’ Bryce Elder is pitching for his job on Friday vs. Rays
Just two weeks into the season, righty Reynaldo Lopez was placed on the 60-day IL with a shoulder issue that will keep him out for an extended period of time. This left an already depleted rotation even more watered down, with Bryce Elder called up from Triple-A to take Lopez’ spot in the rotation.
Elder has had an interesting career so far, to say the least. He has constantly been back and forth between the Minors and the big leagues, experiencing plenty of success and struggles at both levels.
The righty was an All-Star in 2023 and led the National League in ERA for a large portion of the season, only to fall apart a bit down the stretch. That inconsistency left his rotation spot for 2025 in doubt, and in his one start so far this year, he gave up three earned runs in four innings of work and walked two — exactly the sort of outing that the Braves have grown accustomed to seeing from him.
On Friday, Elder will take the ball against the Tampa Bay Ray. And he better make the most of his opportunity: With the recent struggles of AJ Smith-Shawver, Elder has the chance to keep his spot in the rotation even when Strider returns if he can put together a strong outing.
Despite the inconsistency and underwhelming performances Elder has had, his experience at the big -league level could be enough for Brian Snitker to put him on the mound every fifth game for the time being. Smith-Shawver could benefit from more development time in the Minors and Elder has shown he has potential to be successful in the Majors.
The challenge for Elder now is that if he is the one to get sent back down, that could indicate Atlanta is giving up on him. He has had opportunity after opportunity to prove he belongs in the Majors. If he can’t make a solid case on Friday, it could really impact his future. For most, Friday night is just another regular season game. For Bryce Elder, he could be auditioning to keep his job.