Spencer

Schwellenbach

Braves manager Walt Weiss told reporters they’e hoping Schwellenbach is cleared to start a throwing program soon. The dynamic 25-year-old righty has been on the shelf since undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow back in mid-February. He likely won’t be an option for Atlanta’s rotation until after the All-Star break.

Schwellenbach is one of the most electric young arms in the game, but injuries have limited him to just 17 starts over the past two seasons. He’s unlikely to return to Atlanta’s rotation mix until some point in the second half. The dynamic 25-year-old underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow back in mid-February.

Schwellenbach had surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow about 10 weeks ago now. If he’s able to resume throwing in early May, a return just before or after the All-Star break would probably be the plan. He’s far from a sure thing, but there’s a chance he’ll be a big factor in fantasy leagues in the second half.

This looked to be the likely scenario as he was placed on the 60-day IL last week. The surgery, per Weiss, removed bone spurs from Schwellenbach’s elbow. Fantasy managers should probably not bother spending real draft capital on Schwellenbach this year given his uncertain return date. It’s a bummer for the Braves after Schwellenbach posted a 3.23 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 235/41 K/BB ratio over the last two seasons before fracturing his elbow last June.

Ouch. That’s never the news that you want to hear to open spring training. The last update that we got from Braves’ president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos back in November was that Schwellenbach was pain-free. The Braves are hopeful that he’s just dealing with bone spurs, but it’s going to cost him the first two months of the season at a minimum. It’s a tough early break for the Braves and for fantasy managers who may have invested in Schwellenbach in early drafts.

It’s an extremely encouraging update after Schwellenbach landed on the injured list in early July with a fractured right elbow and didn’t return before season’s end. The dynamic 25-year-old righty holds a sparkling 3.23 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 235/41 K/BB ratio across 234 1/3 innings (38 starts) over the past two seasons. He’ll head into next spring as a top-20 fantasy starter.

Schwellenbach hit the injured list back in early July with a fractured right elbow and his odds of making it back prior to the end of the regular season appear microscopic at best. The 25-year-old burgeoning fantasy ace hasn’t been officially ruled out, but he’s running out of time to start ramping up a throwing program.

The procedural move guarantees that Schwellenbach will be on the shelf recovering from a fractured right elbow until at least late-August. The 25-year-old right-hander, who hit the injured list earlier this week after imaging revealed the fracture, has expressed optimism that he’ll pitch again this season, but there won’t be an official return timeline until the fracture heals to the point that he’s cleared to resume a throwing program. There’s a strong chance he doesn’t make it back until some point in September, if at all.

It’s a concerning development that fantasy managers should keep in mind when evaluating pitchers that show up to future spring training’s with significant velocity upticks. The 25-year-old has been diagnosed with a fractured right elbow and won’t be able to resume throwing until it heals completely. He’s hoping to pitch again this season, but that sounds like an extreme long shot.

According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Schwellenbach felt soreness in his right elbow after his 12-strikeout effort against the Phillies on Saturday, and the scan revealed the fracture. The 25-year-old will obviously be out for longer than the minimum two-week stint, and it’s possible — if not likely — that he threw his last pitch in 2025. There should be an update on his status and his rehab program in the coming days. This is a bummer.