An injury update on Spencer Schwellenbach

Of the five members from the rotation currently on the IL, Chris Sale is the only one that will return this season. He just made what is expected to be his final rehab start for the Gwinnett Stripers last night, tossing 4.1 innings of one-run ball on 77 pitches.

AJ Smith-Shawver had Tommy John surgery and likely won’t return until 2027. Grant Holmes is also dealing with an elbow injury, though he is hoping he won’t have to undergo surgery. Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach are working their way back, but neither is going to pitch again this season.

Schwellenbach suffered a fractured elbow a couple of months ago. Thankfully, it is not something that required surgery, but he did have to shut things down for about a month until the pain subsided. He’s been throwing now for about two weeks and hopes to return to the mound for some bullpen work before the offseason.

#Braves Spencer Schwellenbach told me he's been throwing for 2 weeks. It took roughly a month for the pain in his elbow subside. A couple of weeks of strength work followed before picking up a baseball. Goal is to return to the mound (live BP) before heading home for the winter.

— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) August 23, 2025

The Braves have suffered a myriad of injuries this season. Too many for any team to overcome, and the one to Spencer Schwellenbach really felt like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

In his first full professional season, Schwellenbach was starting to look like one of the best pitchers in baseball. He recorded a 2.60 ERA in his last ten starts before hitting the Injured List, with his velocity creeping up to triple digits.

Chris Sale might be the team’s ace, but Spencer Schwellenbach is unquestionably the most important pitcher in the organization. He is the present and the future, one of the few bright spots of an otherwise dismal 2025 season.

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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire

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