Braves make trade, add two key pieces to the 60-day IL

At this rate, the Braves will have an All-Star team on the 60-day IL before Opening Day, which is about par for the course for the organization since the start of the 2024 season. No team has been hamstrung quite like Atlanta by injuries, with just about every core member going down with at least one significant issue, if not multiple.

2026 is off to a similar start. Former All-Star catcher Sean Murphy is still recovering from hip surgery and doesn’t have a clear timetable for a return. The Braves are hoping he can come back sometime in May, but he plays an extremely demanding position and doesn’t have the best injury track record. One would expect the Braves to be cautious, especially with Drake Baldwin in the fold and the recent addition of Jonah Heim, who inked a one-year contract with Atlanta yesterday.

Ha-Seong Kim — who slipped on ice in Korea and tore a ligament in his finger — appears to be on a similar timeline to Murphy. The Braves are targeting a mid-May return, but Kim has spent much of the last two years dealing with various injuries as well, and the club does have a competent backup in Mauricio Dubón.

The biggest gut punch came when the Braves announced Spencer Schwellenbach would begin the season on the 60-day IL with elbow inflammation. As of now, the club does not believe he needs surgery, but it’s another elbow issue for the young starter, giving him three in his short career. Schwellenbach previously underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after college, and his 2025 season ended prematurely due to a fractured elbow.

Walt Weiss said in a press conference that he does not believe this year’s injury is related to the fractured elbow, and the team hopes to get him back at some point this season.

Even if that’s the case, it’s tough to expect Schwellenbach to return after so much time off and immediately be the same pitcher he was in the middle of last year, when he looked like a young arm who could quickly become one of the most feared starters in the Braves’ rotation. Atlanta was already thin there, and now its depth will be tested before the team can even get its footing following an extraordinarily disappointing 2025 season.

If that wasn’t enough, the Braves also made a small trade for infield depth, acquiring Brett Wisely from the Tampa Bay Rays, and announced that reliever Joe Jiménez is headed to the 60-day IL.

The #Braves today acquired INF Brett Wisely from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations and placed RHP Joe Jiménez on the 60-day injured list with a left articular cartilage injury.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) February 11, 2026

Jiménez underwent knee surgery immediately following the 2024 season. The expected recovery time was 8–12 months, and he was seen throwing bullpens around the All-Star break last year. However, a setback occurred toward the end of the season, and he’s been shut down ever since.

At this point, it’s more likely Jiménez never throws a meaningful pitch again for the Braves, but at least the club invested in the bullpen this offseason — unlike the rotation, which already feels on life support before the season even begins.

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Photographer: John Adams/Icon Sportswire

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