Waldrep sent back down to the minors

Thomas was dealing with an intercostal strain and left off the Wild Card roster by Atlanta for their series against the Phillies. He, AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie are the new editions; while Dominic Smith, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Luke Williams have been taken off.

Ritchie’s final start of the season saw him allow seven hits and walks, and he struck out just two. The right-hander went 1-5 on the year with a 4.91 ERA, but there were positives moments for the 23-year-old, and assuming there aren’t drastic changes, there’s a decent chance he’ll be a rotation option for Atlanta in 2027. He’s more dynasty play than redraft next year, but the stuff is good enough that it could lead to a breakout next summer.

Nothing has changed in the prognosis for Waldrep, who is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, this was done merely as a procedural move to free up a spot on the Braves’ 40-man roster for Elieser Hernandez on Thursday. Waldrep is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2027 season while recovering.

The run came on an Elly De La Cruz homer. Ritchie fell to 1-4 with a 4.79 ERA. He’s probably not in the Braves’ plans for next week’s Wild Card series, so he could make a traditional start against the Marlins on Sunday.

Ritchie dealt with a lot of chaos early in this game and was ineffective overall. In the first inning, he walked two batters and gave up a double but got out of that inning with just one run on the board because of a double play and Alex Bregman being thrown out trying to take an extra base. Then he let up a double to start the second, but wriggled out of that jam with two timely strikeouts. Solo home runs from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman followed in the next two frames and a three-run rally in the fifth and Ritchie was yanked then and there. He now has a 5.03 ERA as a rookie and it would be difficult to see the Braves trusting him as part of their playoff staff. Before then, he could get another start against the Reds at home next week given all the uncertainty in Atlanta’s rotation.

Ritchie will come up to take Reynaldo Lopez’s spot on the roster and likely start on Wednesday against the Cubs. Ritchie has a 4.50 ERA and a 53/36 K/BB ratio across 58 innings with the Braves this season and would not be a recommended streaming option for this one.

Waldrep was hurt in Triple-A a month ago in his first outing there after a three-start stint in the majors. The 24-year-old, who is 6-3 with a 4.99 ERA in 13 starts and two relief appearances as a major leaguer since debuting in 2024, figures to miss all of 2027 after this.

Waldrep has been shut down since July 19th, when he pulled himself from a start for Triple-A Gwinnett with right arm discomfort. There has been no information about specifically what part of the arm was bothering him, but it seems that he’s on the mend. Still, if he begins throwing this week, he’ll need to fully ramp up and then face live hitters before a rehab assignment, so it will be a stretch for him to come back and pitch meaningful innings this season.

Ritchie has compiled a serviceable 4.50 ERA and 53/36 K/BB ratio across 58 innings at the highest level this season. There isn’t really a spot for him with Atlanta after they picked up a couple arms at the trade deadline.

As expected, with Reynaldo López (knee) landing on the injured list, the Braves bring back Ritchie with the expectation that he’ll start on Sunday against the Nationals. The 23-year-old hurler has registered a 4.50 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 49/33 K/BB ratio across 54 innings in 13 appearances (seven starts) for the Braves this season.