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Atlanta optioned Waldrep to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.
Waldrep looked rusty in two starts and one relief appearance during his first stint with the big club this season, posting an 8.44 ERA, 2.16 WHIP and 9:10 K:BB over 10.2 innings. The young right-hander could eventually get another chance in the Atlanta rotation after the All-Star break, but he'll try to sharpen up at Gwinnett first. JR Ritchie is entering the rotation in Waldrep's place.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Jumped early in loss
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Waldrep (0-1) took the loss against the Pirates on Tuesday, allowing seven runs on six hits and five walks with two strikeouts over 3.1 innings.
All seven runs came via two Ryan O'Hearn home runs, but Waldrep threw just 45 of 84 pitches for strikes and generated only five whiffs. The 24-year-old has been shaky so far in his return to Atlanta's rotation, allowing 10 earned runs over two starts after throwing two scoreless frames in relief in his first appearance of the season June 28. He'll try to find his footing entering the All-Star break in a road matchup with the Cardinals this weekend.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Another start coming Tuesday
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Waldrep is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.
Waldrep made his 2026 debut for Atlanta out of the bullpen before entering the rotation last week when Bryce Elder's turn was skipped. Though he fell just shy of the benchmarks for a quality start after allowing three earned runs over 5.1 innings last Thursday against the Cardinals, Waldrep will end up sticking around in the rotation while Elder slots back in as a replacement for the injured Martin Perez (forearm). Waldrep tentatively lines up for a two-start week, with his second outing expected to come Sunday in a rematch with the Cardinals on the road.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Ambushed in no-decision
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Waldrep took a no-decision Thursday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out four.
Waldrep gave up all three of his runs in the opening frame, but he was at least able to settle in afterwards and push for a quality start. The 24-year-old right-hander threw 76 pitches in his second major-league outing of 2026, so he may not be fully built up to handle a traditional starter's workload quite yet. Waldrep is contending with Grant Holmes' for a rotation spot going forward, and Thursday's showing might have offered the club enough positive takeaways to hand Waldrep another chance to start next week in Pittsburgh.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Confirmed as starter for Thursday
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Atlanta manager Walt Weiss confirmed that Waldrep will start Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Waldrep made his 2026 debut with Atlanta last Friday, pitching two innings of relief behind starter Reynaldo Lopez. Both pitchers will be in the rotation this week, as Bryce Elder will have his turn skipped. Though Elder is expected to return to the rotation next week, Waldrep could end up sticking around in a starting role, as Atlanta is contemplating moving Grant Holmes to the bullpen. Waldrep's performance Thursday will likely influence that decision, though the right-hander shouldn't be expected to work more than five or six innings, regardless of how well he's pitching. Since completing his recovery from a Feb. 23 elbow procedure and beginning a rehab stint at the beginning of June, Waldrep hasn't tossed more than 71 pitches or covered more than 4.2 innings in any outing.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Could enter rotation Thursday
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Waldrep could start Thursday's game against the Cardinals if he isn't needed out of the bullpen Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Reynaldo Lopez is starting Wednesday's game, and if he's able to go at least 4-to-5 innings, Atlanta will likely go with Waldrep as its starter for Thursday's series finale. If the right-hander has to pitch in relief Wednesday, however, Grant Holmes could draw Thursday's start. Waldrep had surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow back in February, but he threw 55 pitches over two scoreless relief innings during his season debut for Atlanta last week. His highest pitch count over five minor-league starts was 71, so the righty isn't fully stretched out yet.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Likely to move into rotation
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Waldrep is a likely candidate to join the Atlanta rotation in the near future, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
The 24-year-old right-hander was added to the 26-man roster Friday and threw 55 pitches over two relief innings that day, working behind Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez's next start is scheduled for Wednesday and manager Walt Weiss has hinted that the duo could be piggybacked, but Atlanta is also likely looking for ways to get Bryce Elder some extra rest, as he showed reduced velocity in his last start and has struggled over the second half of June. Once Waldrep is further stretched out, he could join a six-man rotation that gets the team through to the All-Star break -- Atlanta doesn't get another day off before the break once they begin a series against the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Works in relief in season debut
Rotowire
Waldrep allowed two hits and four walks while striking out three over two scoreless innings of relief in Friday's 3-1 win over San Francisco.
Waldrep made his 2026 debut with Atlanta on Friday after a delayed start to the season due to surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. The right-hander had produced a 3.52 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 13:11 K:BB across three minor-league levels prior to his call-up. Waldrep doesn't appear to be fully stretched out -- he threw 55 pitches (28 strikes) in Friday's game. He also has some control issues to work through before he can be trusted with a starting role. Atlanta has a gap in its rotation that will likely last through July, so it's possible Waldrep and Atlanta's starter Friday, Reynaldo Lopez, end up working in some sort of tandem arrangement. Atlanta hasn't revealed its plans for the next time this spot in the rotation comes up next week at home versus St. Louis.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Recalled to Atlanta
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Atlanta recalled Waldrep from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.
Waldrep has yet to make his season debut for Atlanta after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow back in February. The 24-year-old was reinstated from the IL on June 12 and has been with Gwinnett ever since. Atlanta placed Robert Suarez (elbow) on the 15-day IL, opening a roster spot for Waldrep with the big-league club.
Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Reinstated, sent to Triple-A
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Atlanta activated Waldrep (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Friday and subsequently optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The right-hander has been working his way back from offseason elbow surgery and made his third minor-league rehab start Thursday -- surrendering four runs across 3.2 innings with Double-A Columbus -- so it's an interesting decision by Atlanta to activate him now rather than simply continuing his rehab assignment in the minors. Waldrep posted a 2.88 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 55:22 K:BB across 56.1 regular-season frames in the big leagues last year and should get another look with Atlanta at some point this summer.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Moving rehab to Double-A
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Waldrep (elbow) had his rehab assignment transferred to Double-A Columbus, where he will make his next start Thursday, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
The right-hander covered two frames in both of his rehab outings in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, setting the stage for him to move to the upper minors. Those appearances marked Waldrep's first game action since September as he works his way back from an offseason elbow procedure. He'll likely require a couple more minor-league starts after Thursday before making his 2026 debut for Atlanta.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Works two scoreless frames in rehab
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Waldrep (elbow) allowed no hits and walked two batters over two scoreless innings during a rehab start Monday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.
Waldrep tossed 26 pitches (14 strikes) in his first official game action since September, after he ended up missing all of spring training and the first two-plus months of the season while recovering from a Feb. 23 arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. The 24-year-old is expected to need close to the entire 30-day rehab window to build up his pitch count and iron out his control and command, so he's unlikely to re-emerge as an option for the Atlanta rotation until late June.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Kicking off rehab assignment
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Waldrep (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League team Monday.
Waldrep is set for his first game action since he had surgery in late February to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. Per Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said recently that Waldrep has been throwing in the mid-to-high 90s, so the right-hander already regained his velocity post-operation. Waldrep will likely require most, if not all, of his allotted 30 days on a rehab assignment before rejoining Atlanta's roster around July 1.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Moved to 60-day IL
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Atlanta transferred Waldrep (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver claim Maverick Handley. It does not alter Waldrep's timetable, as he is recovering from elbow surgery and not expected to be an option for Atlanta until late June at the earliest.
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Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Responding well to bullpen sessions
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Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said May 13 that Waldrep (elbow) has felt fine since he began throwing bullpen sessions earlier in the month, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Though Waldrep has made good progress in his recovery from the arthroscopic procedure he underwent Feb. 23 to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, Weiss noted that the 24-year-old hurler isn't far along enough in his throwing program for Atlanta to establish a definitive timeline for his return. A clearer target date for Waldrep should become available once he advances to facing hitters. After he reaches that step, Waldrep will then head out on what's expected to be a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment before he gets activated from the 15-day injured list.
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