Braves make shocking decision to promote top prospect, but not the one fans might've expected

Not only did the Atlanta Braves lose their best position player, Ronald Acuña Jr., to a season-ending injury, but they also lost their ace, Spencer Strider, who is done for the season as well.

Replacing Acuña is tough, but the Braves had Adam Duvall, a capable starter waiting in the wings. Right on cue, Duvall homered in his first start since Acuña's injury. Replacing Strider on the other hand, has proven to be more of a challenge for Atlanta.

Nobody can actually replace a pitcher as talented as Strider, but the Braves have had trouble finding a No. 5 starter just to take his spot in the rotation. Bryce Elder, Darius Vines, Ray Kerr, and Allan Winans have combined to make nine starts for Atlanta but all have ERA's over 5.00.

The only starter to pitch well with his opportunity, AJ Smith-Shawver, is sidelined with an oblique injury. The lack of production from Atlanta's depth has Alex Anthopoulos digging deeper to find someone that sticks. He promoted a top prospect on Tuesday, but not one Braves fans might've expected.

Atlanta promotes top prospect, but not one Braves fans might've expected

FanSided's Robert Murray reported that the Braves are calling up right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach. The 23-year-old is Atlanta's No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Murray also reported that he's expected to start Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park.

The Braves calling on a top prospect to try and take over the fifth spot in their rotation doesn't come as a huge shock. They did that with their No. 1 prospect, Smith-Shawver, who threw 4.1 scoreless innings in his season debut just five days ago against the Chicago Cubs before getting hurt.

While Atlanta promoting a prospect isn't surprising, it is certainly strange to see Schwellenbach being the one to get the call when Hurston Waldrep is right there. Schwellenbach, a former second-round pick of the Braves back in 2021, has a 1.80 ERA in eight minor league starts this season but only two of those came in AA. The other six came for A+ Rome.

Now, Schwellenbach did pitch extremely well in his two starts for AA Mississippi, not allowing a single run to score in 13 innings of work. He allowed just five hits and one walk while striking out 17. Promising, but again, he made just two starts at that level and is now making the jump all the way to the majors.

Meanwhile, Waldrep, Atlanta's No. 2 prospect, has made nine starts for AA Mississippi and has posted a 2.98 ERA. He had a rough first start of the season, but has a 1.19 ERA in May and hasn't allowed more than two runs in an outing since that first one.

The right-hander even made a start for AAA Gwinnett last season. He seemed further along than Schwellenbach, but Atlanta chose Schwellenbach instead.

Both of these starting pitchers are supremely talented, and it's never wise to question anything Anthopoulos does. There's a very good chance Schwellenbach will step right up and act as if he's been starting in the majors for years when he debuts on Wednesday against the Nationals. If he pitches well, there's a good chance he'll get more starts to prove he belongs in their rotation.