The Atlanta Braves’ 2025 season has been a disaster and is only getting worse. A devastating blow came on Wednesday afternoon when it was announced that Braves ace Spencer Schwellenbach suffered a fractured elbow and would be placed on the IL. This, in addition to the injury to Chris Sale, seems like the finishing touches on a season that has been a series of unfortunate events.
The Braves’ starting rotation is one injury away from being sponsored by a local Cobb County hospital. No joke, the only starter still in the rotation from Opening Day is Grant Holmes, who should now be put in bubble wrap the rest of the season. Injuries to Reynaldo Lopez, AJ Smith-Shawver, Sale, and now Schwellenbach have the rotation looking like something that would be seen on a weekend trip to see the Gwinnett Stripers.
With Smith-Shawver out for the year, and no timetable for the return of Lopez, Sale, and Schwellenbach, it’s more than likely that fans going to Truist Park the rest of the year will see a steady rotation of Triple-A callups. Didier Fuentes has already made a few starts for Atlanta and has shown some promise; however, the depth of MLB-ready pitching talent at the Triple-A level is not particularly strong. The question now is, who replaces Schwellenbach?
With Schwellenbach moving to the IL, the Braves’ corresponding move was to call up Austin Cox, who’s already made two appearances this year. Cox is nothing more than a depth addition to the bullpen, so don’t look for him to join the rotation anytime soon. Cam Caminiti and Hurston Waldrep, the top two prospects in the Atlanta minor league system, are both more than likely another year or two from being ready for the Majors. That leaves Jackson Stephens and Nathan Wiles as possible answers.
Stephens is currently sporting a 2.94 ERA and a 3-0 record with the Stripers. He has also pitched at least one game for Atlanta each of the last three seasons, including 39 in 2022, when he had a 3.69 ERA. In fact, in 47 games with the Braves, he has a collective ERA of 3.52, which is respectable. The only issue with Stephens is that he has only made three starts so far this season, and he is not currently on the 40-man roster.
Wiles, on the other hand, is on the 40-man roster and sports a similar ERA on the season, 3.08. Wiles’ experience at the Major League level is limited. His only appearance was earlier this year, and it was less than impressive: four hits and three runs in one inning. Since he is on the 40-man roster, though, he will be, and should be, the pick to replace Schwellenbach.
With the Braves’ rotation now decimated by injury, the responsibility to turn the season around rests with the offense. That statement alone will probably make Braves fans everywhere crawl under their beds in hiding, as the offense has had a horrid season so far. If there is hope, it is the continued surge by both Ronald Acuna Jr and Matt Olson, plus the return of Jurickson Profar from a PED suspension. If the offense goes on a run, there could be some hope in Atlanta for a comeback season.
If the offense continues on the path it has been on, however, it more than likely will make the Braves sellers at the deadline and spell the end of a once-promising season. The Braves will not be trading Acuna unless Alex Anthopoulos wants to be considered the worst GM in history. Selling will more than likely be limited to trading veterans on expiring contracts, such as Marcell Ozuna. This could lead to more Triple-A callups and a very long second half of the season in Atlanta.
For the city of Atlanta and Braves fans everywhere, it has been a long and often exhausting summer of watching baseball. The feeling after the news of the Schwellenbach injury is that this season is going to be even more exhausting down the stretch of the second half, and it has Atlanta sports fans looking forward to basketball season. The good news is that since they’ve already been put in the grave, the Braves will probably now make a run to the playoffs.
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