Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Blanks Pale Hose for fourth win
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Waldrep (4-0) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing four hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over the White Sox. He struck out seven.
The rookie right-hander was impressive once again, firing 60 of 87 pitches for strikes as he tied his career high in Ks. Waldrep has won all four of his starts since being brought up at the beginning of August, producing a stellar 0.73 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB over 24.2 innings. The 2023 first-round pick will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Miami.
Waldrep (3-0) earned the win over the Guardians on Friday, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out seven over six scoreless innings.
The 23-year-old generated 14 swinging strikes on 95 pitches and set a career high with seven strikeouts, blanking Cleveland for his first career scoreless outing. Since being recalled, the young starter has been impressive, winning each of his first three outings while yielding only two total runs across 17.2 innings. His ability to command the zone and miss bats has quickly made him a valuable boost to Atlanta's injury-prone rotation, and he'll take a 1.02 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 17:5 K:BB into his next scheduled start against the White Sox.
Atlanta manager Brian Snitker indicated after Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins that Waldrep will remain in the big-league rotation, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. "He was a first-round pick because he had arm strength and an out pitch with the split, but now he's pitching [well]," Snitker said. "He's mixing the curveball, the split's still a really good pitch for him, the sinker instead of [four-seamer]. He's not having to pitch at 98 [miles per hour] to be effective. His command's a lot better."
Atlanta is looking ahead to 2026, and Waldrep will get a prolonged audition in the majors as a result. The 2023 first-round pick has a 1.54 ERA and 10:3 K:BB over 11.2 innings with the big club in August, extending a hot streak that had seen the right-hander post a 1.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:16 K:BB across his last 40.2 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett. Assuming Atlanta elects to maintain a five-man rotation during the upcoming week, Erick Fedde or Carlos Carrasco will likely be pushed to the bullpen or off the roster entirely to accommodate Waldrep.
Waldrep (2-0) earned the win over Miami in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings.
Waldrep was called up for the contest for what could just be a spot start. The rookie right-hander at least gave Atlanta something to think about in terms of leaving him in the rotation, as he not only earned the victory, he also notched his first career quality start while racking up 12 whiffs and six punchouts over six frames. Through two major-league outings, Waldrep has surrendered just two runs over 11.2 innings while posting a 10:3 K:BB. Atlanta's pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries this season, and among current starters, none were part of the Opening Day rotation. With some shifting, that could leave room for Waldrep to be given a chance to remain a big-league starter, though it's worth noting that Chris Sale (ribs) is beginning a minor-league rehab stint next week and could be activated off the IL not long thereafter.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Recalled ahead of start
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Atlanta recalled Waldrep from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of his start in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins at Truist Park.
Although he carries a 4.42 ERA and 1.48 WHIP through 19 starts in the minors this season, Waldrep was effective in his 2025 debut for Atlanta in this past Sunday's MLB Speedway Classic. While technically making a relief appearance after the game was suspended in the first inning Saturday before being resumed Sunday, the 23-year-old gave up just one run in 5.2 innings against the Reds. He'll now aim to silence a Marlins squad that has been surging since the All-Star break. Dylan Dodd was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Likely to be back with Atlanta
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Waldrep will probably make another start for Atlanta during a doubleheader Saturday against the Marlins, Rick Farlow of MLB.com reports. "We have a doubleheader coming up at the end of the week," manager Brian Snitker said Tuesday. "We'll see how we get there. I think after [Waldrep's performance in the MLB Speedway Classic on Sunday], we will see him."
The first-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft gave Atlanta 5.2 strong innings in his season debut for the club Sunday, five days after tossing seven scoreless frames for Triple-A Gwinnett in his best outing of the minor-league campaign. Waldrep has been coming on strong for Gwinnett, posting a 1.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:16 K:BB over his last seven starts and 40.2 innings, and with Atlanta's pitching staff in tatters, another good effort against Miami this weekend could earn him a much longer look in the majors. At the moment, Atlanta is trying to get through the rest of the season with veteran retreads Carlos Carrasco (5.68 ERA) and Erick Fedde (5.32 ERA) rounding out the rotation, but that duo has no place in the team's future plans.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Returns to Triple-A
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Atlanta optioned Waldrep to Triple-A Gwinnett after Sunday's 4-2 win over the Reds in the MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tenn., Lindsay Crosby of AthlonSports.com reports.
Waldrep was called up to serve as Atlanta's 27th man for the continuation the Speedway Classic, which was suspended in the first inning Saturday. He ended up serving as a de facto starter for Atlanta, covering 5.2 innings and earning the win while allowing an earned run on three hits and two walks. The outing was his first major-league appearance of the season, and he made a good impression for an Atlanta squad that has struggled to find healthy bodies for the rotation. The right-hander will return to Gwinnett, but he'll be a strong candidate to rejoin Atlanta to make a spot start or serve as a bulk reliever in Saturday's doubleheader with Miami.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Called up Sunday
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Atlanta recalled Waldrep from Triple-A Gwinnett to serve as the 27th man for the continuation of the MLB Speedway Classic against the Reds on Sunday in Bristol, Tenn.
Saturday's game was marred by two rain delays before being suspended during the first inning, and Waldrep will join Atlanta to potentially provide some length. The 23-year-old was scheduled to start Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett and should be available for a full workload. Waldrep surrendered 13 earned runs across his first two MLB appearances last season and has a 4.42 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 92:50 K:BB over 91.2 innings this season with Gwinnett.
Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Dominant at Triple-A on Tuesday
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Waldrep threw seven scoreless innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out eight.
There had been speculation the 23-year-old right-hander might get called up this week to bolster Atlanta's injury-ravaged rotation, but Waldrep instead remained at Gwinnett and delivered arguably his best performance of the season. He's given up two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts, posting a 1.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:16 K:BB over 40.2 innings during that stretch. With Atlanta out of the playoff picture and expected to be sellers at the trade deadline, the team could still promote Waldrep at some point over the final weeks of the campaign to help him get his feet wet in the majors ahead of competing for a rotation spot next spring.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: In mix to start Tuesday
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Waldrep was scratched ahead of his most recent scheduled start with Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday and could be recalled to enter the Atlanta rotation Tuesday in Kansas City, Lindsay Crosby of AthlonSports.com reports.
While Waldrep hasn't yet joined Atlanta's taxi squad and remained with Gwinnett as of Sunday, the right-hander could still easily meet up with the big club Monday. Though the newly acquired Erick Fedde looks like a good bet to assume one of the two vacancies in the Atlanta rotation, Waldrep appears to be a strong candidate to fill the other spot on the heels of a strong run at Gwinnett of late. Over his last six outings in Triple-A, the 23-year-old has submitted a 2.41 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 28:15 K:BB in 33.2 innings.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Fans 10 at Gwinnett
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Waldrep struck out 10 batters for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks over 5.1 innings.
The 23-year-old right-hander put together his longest, and best, outing of the season, tossing 95 pitches (56 strikes) as he fanned double-digit batters for the third time in his minor-league career. Waldrep is still searching for some consistency, and through seven starts for Gwinnett in 2025 he's stumbled to a 6.35 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 31:20 K:BB in 28.1 innings. The 2023 first-round pick will need to string together a few more strong performances like this before he'll be an option to bolster Atlanta's rotation.
Atlanta optioned Waldrep to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.
Waldrep made a single appearance during spring training before being optioned, firing a scoreless inning. The 22-year-old allowed 13 earned runs across seven regular-season innings in his two appearances for Atlanta last season, but he posted a 3.38 ERA across 40.0 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett after starting the minor-league season at the rookie-level Florida Complex League. Following his impressive ascension through the organizational ranks last season, the right-hander will begin his 2025 campaign a step away from the majors.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Reintroducing curve to arsenal
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Waldrep is working on his curveball this spring after previously shelving the pitch, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Atlanta wanted the right-hander to refine his slider after selecting him in the first round in 2023, as it would make a better complement to his plus-plus splitter. Now that he's comfortable with the slider, however, he can turn his attention back to the curve. "So, the focus, when we got rid of it, was to work on the slider -- to work on making the slider kind of the forefront of the arsenal and let it make the splitter better, really," Waldrep said Tuesday. "So, adding the curveball back just kind of gives me a little better tool to lefties. It fits my fastball really well out of my arm slot, and it just kind of made sense to bring it back." The 22-year-old also took time this winter to study how pitchers like Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander incorporated their curveballs into their pitch mix. Waldrep is likely to begin the season back at Triple-A Gwinnett, and while adding another reliable pitch can only help, control and command remain the biggest obstacles between him and a regular spot in the Atlanta rotation.
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