Braves left-hander Joey Wentz has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the entire 2026 season. Mark Bowman of MLB.com was among those to relay the news. Wentz will be transferred to the 60-day injured list whenever the club needs a roster spot, though their 40-man count is currently at 39 due to outfielder Jurickson Profar landing on the restricted list for a PED suspension.
Wentz, 28, was covering first base on a bunt attempt in yesterday’s game when he appeared to injure his right leg. Though he was carted off the field, initial tests seemed to suggest he may have avoided serious injury. It seems that further testing contradicted the first reports.
The lefty was claimed off waivers in July of last year and was effectively in the rotation from that point on. He made 13 starts and one relief appearance for Atlanta, allowing 4.92 earned runs per nine. His 23% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate were both close to league average. He qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player and the club felt good enough about that performance to tender him a contract. The two sides avoided arbitration in November by agreeing to a $900K salary for 2026.
As of a few weeks ago, Wentz was a bit buried in the depth chart but the Atlanta rotation has been hit hard since camp has opened. Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep each required surgery a few weeks ago, as both pitchers had loose bodies in their elbows that needed removing. Their specific timelines aren’t clear but each is slated to miss months.
After those two surgeries, Atlanta projected to have a rotation with four spots going to Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes. That left Wentz, Bryce Elder and José Suarez battling for the final spot. Since all three are out of options, one of them was probably going to break camp in a long relief role.
Even before this recent spate of injuries, there was an argument for Atlanta to add more rotation depth, as even the guys who aren’t currently hurt have question marks. Sale has been injury prone in recent years, making more than 2o starts just once in the past six years. Strider returned from internal brace surgery last year but posted a lackluster 4.45 ERA. López only made one start last year due to shoulder surgery. Holmes was diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament last year and is currently trying to pitch in 2026 without surgery. Elder had a 5.30 ERA last year. Suarez is a fringe roster guy who rode the DFA carousel this winter.
Despite all of that uncertainty, the front office hasn’t shown much urgency in adding more arms. It was reported in mid-February, as the Schwellenbach and Waldrep injuries were coming to light, that Atlanta didn’t have much interest in Chris Bassitt before he signed with the Orioles and had not been involved with free agent Lucas Giolito. Up until yesterday, Zack Littell was still out there but he now has an agreement in place with the Nationals.
It’s possible that recent events make the club more likely to make an addition. If the budget was the problem, the Profar suspension helped them out, as he won’t be paid his $15MM salary this year. Atlanta saved about $18MM in total when factoring in tax savings. With the freed-up cash and now yet another injury, perhaps president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos does turn to free agency. In addition to Giolito, guys like Tyler Anderson and Patrick Corbin are still unsigned. More arms could shake loose as Opening Day approaches and other teams make cuts.
For now, the top depth options include Didier Fuentes, JR Ritchie, Martín Pérez, Carlos Carrasco and Elieser Hernández. Fuentes was hastily promoted last year at the age of 20 and was lit up in his first four big league starts. Ritchie is one of the club’s best pitching prospects but he has no major league experience and just 11 Triple-A starts under his belt. The other three are veterans who haven’t had much big league success in recent years.
As for Wentz, it’s a frustrating setback as he had a real chance to earn a rotation gig. Instead, he’ll spend the season on the shelf. If there’s one small silver lining, he’ll earn a full year of service time while on the IL, but he’ll be a non-tender candidate going into 2027.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Godfree, Imagn Images
No way. Not my Braves. They don’t get injured…
MLBTradeRumors needs to let me post reaction gifs everytime there’s a catastrophic Braves injury.
Ouch. Literally. Feel bad for the young man, too many bad memories there of an ACL injury.
Me too, both personally and in athletes I’ve coached. Just a crushing injury
Ok its official the Braves are cursed!….Really hate this for Wentz. Terrible timing.
@braveshomer… For the past 40 years of my fandom i have watched the Braves not only embarrass the Mets but dominate the divisions they’ve been in, so if the Braves are cursed, the Mets must be damned.
Only 40? Newbie!!
1969 probably required soul selling…
They have not dominated the whole division for 40 years, calm down.
They have won the division 20 of the possible 34 times since 1991, though
They’ve only been in the East for 31 years (not counting 1994) and they’ve won it 18 times. I’d say they have in fact dominated it.
Smoke Two Joints is a fitting song here…
We’re not including the Ted Turner managing in the dugout era, correct?
Lucas Giolito, you ARE an Atlanta Brave.
To quote Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend”.
They made some unholy pact for 2021 and now it’s time to pay. Faustian.
It’s the only explanation that fits!
Waiting on dodgers gambling curse of ohtani. But don’t bet on it
Joc Pederson purchased those 2021 pearls from a witch doctor
That’s brutal. Hopefully his rehab will be strong and he’ll be back full strength next year.
I feel a Jesse Chavez story being pulled from the archives.
Lmao. 3 man rotation incoming.
Probably means Junkman Elder is gonna be the 5th starter.
The gift that keeps on giving.
You have to believe at some point AA either signs Giolito or at least picks someone off the scrap heap
Though Wentz’s name was linked to the rotation because of last season and his career, but he had no GS this spring and by all indications would have been a mop-up LH RP. If anything, it looks like Hayden Harris will fill and to a lesser extent Dylan Dodd (whom I think is out of options). I doubt this really ever affected their Opening Day rotation plans, so I can’t see a link to Giolito any more today than before the injury. I’d think Martín Perez pitching well solidified Wentz’s only shot was in the ‘pen, if he made the OD roster, which wasn’t a given.
I think he is going to wait and see who gets released over the next few weeks as teams trim down and go from there.
Well so much for “avoiding major injury”
Idk what the Braves should do!! I don’t think that Giolito is the answer either.
Yeah, he sucks and has a bum shoulder. No thanks.
This sucks, especially when it seems like Elder will start the season as the #4 starter.
#5. Sale, Strider, Lopez, Holmes, Elder.
Surely to go down in that order
I might be a bit pessimistic, but I agree with your comment. Assuming that rotation stays healthy. I suppose that Profar’s $$$ will be used towards that once it’s deposited either in ST or by the deadline.
yup i agree especially when 4 out of that 5 have had significant injuries in the last couple of years.
I doubt that. I get he falls under the “I’ll believe it when I see it”, but Martín Perez looks to be the favorite for SP5 (with Sale, Strider, R. Lopez, Holmes) being the others. However, JR Ritchie has a real shot to start the season in the bigs.
I’d take Ritchie. He’s got four pitches and can hit 97mph on his 4-seamer.
Now the Braves will surely have to suffer Elder Abuse!
Same ‘OL Braves
This is exactly why pitchers should be doing things other than just learning how to throw harder. Pitchers have to field too and I don’t think they spend nearly enough time training the rest of their bodies and practicing the rest of their job. But modern pitchers get paid for velocity, so I guess i can’t blame them. But teams should know better.
Go on, Braves, spend that Profar money on Giolito…
MRI Machine just warming up!
is maddux, glavine or smoltz available to pitch?
Their rotation now is…
Chris Sale/Spencer Strider/Reynaldo Lopez/Grant Holmes/Bryce Elder
And then like Martin Perez or whoever for depth.
Regarding the 40-man situation, Smith-Shawver is still waiting to go on the 60-day as well.
During the offseason the Braves did a great job of adding depth in the OF, IF, catcher and the bullpen. Every place except the starting rotation. Now there are four starters on the IL, and their need for starters keeps getting more important. They have the money, they have the need, but the front office still hasn’t added anyone except maybe Martin Perez.
I hope the front office doesn’t think this is the end of pitcher injuries because it’s obviously just the beginning.
AA loves to have some cash available to make in season moves. I think he rolls the dice and, if they are in contention for a playoff spot, makes a heroic trade at the deadline.
Wentz had just blown away his former team the Tigers. Or was Lucchesi the Tiger and Wentz the Met?