Atlanta announced that Schwellenbach underwent a procedure Wednesday to remove bone spurs from his right elbow, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
The team hasn't issued a timeline for Schwellenbach's return, but manager Walt Weiss said that he's hopeful that the 25-year-old right-hander will be able to pitch at some point in 2026. At the very least, Schwellenbach will miss the first two months of the season after Atlanta placed him on its 60-day injured list last week. Atlanta's rotation is already being tested in the early stages of the season; Hurston Waldrep (elbow) is slated to undergo a similar procedure as Schwellenbach on Monday, and AJ Smith-Shawver (elbow) is unlikely to be available until late in the second half after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Arthroscopic elbow surgery possible
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Schwellenbach said Wednesday that he could require arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Schwellenbach is already required to miss the first two months of the season after being placed on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, and a scope on his elbow would likely extend that absence. The right-hander was also sidelined for the final three months of the 2025 campaign with a small fracture in his elbow. It's unclear when a decision about surgery will be made, but it should be soon.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Placed on 60-day injured list
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Atlanta placed Schwellenbach on the 60-day injured list Tuesday with right elbow inflammation, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Schwellenbach missed the final three months of the 2025 regular season with a small fracture in his right elbow, and he will now be shelved for most of the first two months of the 2026 campaign, at minimum. Atlanta is hopeful that the right-hander is dealing with bone spurs and will not require surgery. With Schwellenbach unavailable and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) and Grant Holmes (elbow) also returning from injury, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz and Martin Perez (shoulder) have better opportunities at cracking the Opening Day rotation. Atlanta could also augment its rotation with an outside addition.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Cleared to resume throwing
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Schwellenbach (elbow) has resumed throwing and is hopeful to throw a live batting practice session in the near future, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
Schwellenbach has received the green light to begin a throwing program in Atlanta as he continues to work back from a small fracture in his right elbow suffered at the end of June. McAuley notes that the club is optimistic Schwellenbach can complete a live BP session over the next week or so before being sent home for the winter, which effectively rules him out for the remainder of the 2025 season.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Return this season looking unlikely
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Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Monday that Schwellenbach (elbow) has yet to resume throwing, and the right-hander appears unlikely to return this season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Schwellenbach is a little more than a month removed from suffering a small fracture in his pitching elbow. While Atlanta has yet to officially rule the right-hander out for the season, he's without a timeline to resume throwing, and he'll need extended time to be built back up once he picks up a baseball. With Atlanta already essentially out of the playoff picture, the club has little incentive to push Schwellenbach to return in September.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Moves to 60-day IL
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Atlanta transferred Schwellenbach (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
Schwellenbach felt soreness in his elbow a day after a June 28 start against the Phillies and was sent for further tests, which revealed a small fracture. The 25-year-old is expected to be shut down from throwing for at least four weeks and is unlikely to return to the Atlanta rotation until September, so his move to the 60-day IL won't affect his recovery timeline. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Jesse Chavez, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Schwellenbach (6-4) yielded two runs on four hits and a walk over seven innings Monday, striking out four and earning a win against the Mets.
Schwellenbach rolled through five shutout frames before Juan Soto popped a two-run shot in the sixth inning. Other than that, Schwellenbach allowed only one runner to reach scoring position. He's thrown at least seven innings in three straight outings and six of his last eight; during that span, he's produced a 3.04 ERA over 56.1 innings. Schwellenbach owns a 3.21 ERA with a 96:17 K:BB this season. He's projected for a home matchup with the Phillies this weekend.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Punches out eight
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Schwellenbach did not factor in the decision during Tuesday's win over the Mets. He allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight across seven innings.
Schwellenbach didn't have his best stuff Tuesday and gave up more than three earned runs for just the fourth time in 15 outings this season. He was taken deep by Juan Soto and Tyrone Taylor in the first and fifth frames, respectively, and Taylor also added a two-run double. Schwellenbach has struck out at least eight batters in four of his last five starts and now owns a 92:16 K:BB through 96.2 innings this season. He racked up a career-high 22 whiffs Tuesday, with seven coming via the fastball. Schwellenbach will carry a 3.26 ERA into his next start, which is lined up to be in Miami this weekend.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Tosses first complete game
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Schwellenbach (5-4) earned the win against the Brewers on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks with nine strikeouts over nine innings.
Schwellenbach allowed runs in the second and eighth innings but still went the distance for his first career complete game. He was highly efficient, throwing 76 of 105 pitches for strikes while generating 15 whiffs. The 25-year-old has now worked at least six frames in seven straight outings, six of which have been quality starts. He'll carry a 3.11 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 84:14 K:BB across 89.2 innings into a home matchup with the Mets next week.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Fans 11 in losing effort
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Schwellenbach (3-4) took the loss Sunday against San Diego. He pitched seven innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits and no walks with 11 strikeouts.
After conceding a run in the first on a Jackson Merrill single, Schwellenbach breezed through the Padres' lineup until two unearned runs scored on a Gavin Sheets long ball in the sixth. Schwellenbach generated an astounding 20 whiffs on 101 total pitches to notch his first performance with double-digit Ks since April 4 against Miami. The Atlanta right-hander has pitched to a 3.42 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 60:12 K:BB across 68.1 total innings. He currently lines up to make his next start against the Red Sox at home next weekend.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Collects second win
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Schwellenbach (2-3) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks over seven innings in a 5-2 victory over the Nationals. He struck out three.
He served up a leadoff homer to CJ Abrams and gave up another run before Atlanta's offense woke up in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Schwellenbach ended up cruising to a fairly comfortable win. The 24-year-old righty has produced seven quality starts in nine trips to the mound this season, and he'll take a 3.31 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 46:11 K:BB through 54.1 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Boston.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Hit hard by Dodgers
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Schwellenbach (1-3) took the loss against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out four batters over 3.2 innings.
Schwellenbach began his outing with a scoreless first frame, but he struggled mightily after that. The right-hander gave up a run in the second and two more in the third before Los Angeles blitzed him for three two-out runs (one of which scored after he departed) in the fourth. It was the second time this season Schwellenbach has yielded six runs in an appearance, though he's notched a quality start in each of his other five outings. He'll carry a 3.92 ERA into his next trip to the mound, which is slated to be a home matchup against Cincinnati next week.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Knocked around for six runs
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Schwellenbach (1-1) allowed six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three in six innings in a loss to the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
Schwellenbach allowed just one run through four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He walked a batter and allowed four hits, with two of those being home runs, before getting an out in the inning and eventually exited down 6-1. Schwellenbach was off to a brilliant start before Tuesday with a 0.45 ERA and 0.65 WHIP through his first three outings. He'll aim to return to his dominant ways in a home start versus the Cardinals next week.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Gives up first run in strong start
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Schwellenbach didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Philadelphia after giving up one run on seven hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five.
Schwellenbach yielded two extra-base hits, one of which left the yard off the red-hot bat of Kyle Schwarber in the third inning, and he notably escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning by fanning Nick Castellanos. The right-hander's night then ended after rain delayed the start of the seventh inning by nearly three hours. The long ball represented Schwellenbach's first run allowed in 2025, and he carries a pristine 0.45 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB over 20 innings (three starts) to open the season following his 2024 second-half surge. He'll do battle with the Blue Jays on the road in his next scheduled start, which is set for early next week.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Furious start to 2025 continues
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Schwellenbach (1-0) recorded the win after allowing two hits and no walks in eight innings Friday against the Marlins, striking out 10.
It was another masterful performance by Schwellenbach, who came into this one fresh off twirling six one-hit innings in his first start of the year against the Padres. The right-hander scattered two singles Friday, so he has now given up just three hits and one free pass while striking out 14 across 14 innings to begin 2025. Up next for Schwellenbach is a favorable matchup at home against Pittsburgh in his next scheduled start next week.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Blanks Yanks in dominant start
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Schwellenbach gave up two hits and a walk over six scoreless innings while striking out 10 in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.
The right-hander built up to 78 pitches (57 strikes) in a dominant outing against a Yankees lineup that featured Aaron Judge, Austin Wells and a bunch of bench players and minor leaguers. The level of competition doesn't take away from Schwellenbach's performance though, as he didn't even allow a runner to reach second base. With Opening Day on the horizon, Schwellenbach seems more than ready, having posted a 2.41 ERA and eye-popping 26:2 K:BB through 18.2 Grapefruit League innings.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Fans seven Nats on Friday
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Schwellenbach gave up two runs on four hits over 4.2 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out seven without walking a batter.
The 24-year-old right-hander wasn't quite as sharp as his line indicated, as he plunked one batter and got charged with a wild pitch, but it was mostly another successful spring outing for Schwellenbach. Over 12.2 Grapefruit League innings, he's delivered a 16:1 K:BB and appears just about ready for Opening Day.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Excluded from wild-card roster
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Schwellenbach is not on Atlanta's roster for the National League Wild Card Series against the Padres.
It's not a surprise after Schwellenbach threw 94 pitches over seven innings in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets. If Atlanta advances to the NLDS, Schwellenbach will undoubtedly be part of the rotation for that series.
Schwellenbach came away with a no-decision in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.
The rookie right-hander was sharp once again, firing 68 of 94 pitches for strikes in his 12th quality start of the season and leaving the mound in line for a playoff-clinching victory. Atlanta's bullpen unraveled however, coughing up eight runs in the final two frames to cost Schwellenbach his ninth win. He wraps up an impressive first regular season in the majors with a 3.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 127:23 K:BB through 123.2 innings, but Atlanta -- which won the nightcap to get into the postseason -- will likely need to advance past the Wild Card Round for Schwellenbach to pitch again in 2024.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Sharp in eighth win
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Schwellenbach (8-7) picked up the win in Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Mets, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out four.
The rookie right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning before serving up a solo shot to Mark Vientos, and Schwellenbach left the mound after 87 pitches (62 strikes). He has been huge for Atlanta down the stretch as the team tries to earn a playoff berth -- he's given up three runs or fewer in 11 straight outings, posting a 2.59 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 73:13 K:BB through 66 innings over that stretch, and Tuesday's quality start was his third straight and his 11th of the year. He's tentatively scheduled to work the final game of the regular season at home Sunday against the Royals, with a potential wild-card spot on the line.
