Biggest storylines from first week of Braves Spring Training

The first week of Braves Spring Training did not fail to deliver a number of intriguing storylines, many of which were positive, but unfortunately were outshined by the elephant in the room.

Yet Another Devastating Injury

The immediate announcement of Spencer Schwellenbach‘s elbow injury on the first day of Spring Training felt like a horror movie Braves fans have now seen a thousand times. He’ll begin the season on the 60-day IL, and while the club is hoping he won’t need season-ending surgery, nobody can say it is off the table at this point.

The short-term effects are massive. Spencer Schwellenbach is among the top young pitchers in baseball, and a healthy version of him was a legitimate dark-horse Cy Young candidate — right there along with Chris Sale. Losing him severely hinders the Braves’ chances of competing for a World Series.

The long-term effects are perhaps even more concerning. This is now Spencer Schwellenbach’s third elbow injury since he was drafted. He underwent Tommy John surgery before throwing his first professional pitch, and his 2025 campaign ended prematurely due to a fractured elbow. At this moment, there’s no reason to say Schwellenbach can’t go on to have a Hall of Fame career, but after what Braves fans have endured in recent years with young stars like Michael Soroka, Kyle Wright, and most recently Spencer Strider, it’s difficult not to ponder the worst-case scenarios.

Nacho Alvarez… The Catcher??

On the first day of Spring Training, former top prospect Nacho Alvarez was seen doing catching drills, and apparently, he wasn’t just playing around. The Braves want to give him some work behind the plate to see if he can add yet another tool to his already versatile tool belt. The club believes Alvarez’s bat can stick at the major-league level long term. The bigger question is whether they can find him a place to play. With the organizational depth behind the plate being so weak, learning how to catch only improves his odds of finding more opportunities in Atlanta.

Ronald Acuña Jr. Feels 200%

Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn’t been shy about his excitement arriving at Spring Training, telling the media that he feels 200% with regard to his health leading up to Opening Day. The former NL MVP has been staying active this offseason, dominating the Venezuelan Winter League and will soon compete for Venezuela in next month’s World Baseball Classic.

Oh, and if you thought Acuña might consider slowing things down after a couple of catastrophic knee injuries, think again. He said he’ll be running a lot this season, and if his performance in the Venezuelan Winter League is any indication — 11 steals in just 16 games — we can all take his word for it.

Braves Add Sean Murphy Insurance

Sean Murphy is another key Braves player who will miss a large portion to begin the season after undergoing major hip surgery in September of last year. The hope is that he will be back sometime in the middle of May, but the Braves decided not to roll the dice and added some insurance in the form of Jonah Heim.

Heim is not going to challenge Drake Baldwin for playing time, but he’s a legitimate starting-caliber catcher who has accrued 6.9 WAR over 513 games in the last four seasons for the Texas Rangers. His best season came in 2023 — when Tim Hyers was his hitting coach — as he hit .258 with 18 home runs while also winning his first Gold Glove Award. This is a solid pickup for the Braves that could end up paying major dividends this season.

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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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