Spencer

Schwellenbach

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.

Impressive. Schwellenbach allowed just three hits in the contest while issuing one free pass, and only one of his hits allowed went for extra bases. He generated a whopping 19 swings-and-misses over 90 pitches. That makes four starts in a row that Schwellenbach has gone at least seven innings, and he’s forged a 35/4 K/BB ratio over those outings. He’s obviously someone who should be in fantasy lineups for Friday’s scheduled bout against the Orioles.

Schwellenbach got just five missed swings tonight, with three of those coming on the seven splitters he threw. Still, it all worked out fine. The only damage came on Juan Soto’s homer in the sixth. Schwellenbach completed seven innings for the eighth time this season. He’s gone at least six in all but two of his 16 starts. He’s slated to face the Phillies next.

Schwellenbach had great swing-and-miss stuff tonight, generating 22 whiffs, but he gave up solo homers in the first and fifth and a two-run double in between. Over his last five starts, he has a 2.80 ERA and an exceptional 43/4 K/BB in 35 1/3 innings. He’ll face the Marlins on Sunday.

The Braves had relievers up in the eighth and ninth innings, but Schwellenbach was allowed to continue and retired Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and Jake Bauers on 11 pitches during the final frame. In all, he threw 105 pitches, and he went without a walk for the fifth time in 14 starts this year. Schwellenbach has gone 4-1 in his last six starts to improve to 5-4 with a 3.11 ERA for the season. His next start will likely come a week from today against the Mets.

Schwellenbach walked two over those six innings, and he struck out four while allowing six hits. It was a far cry from the impressive 11 strikeouts he procured against the Red Sox last week, but his struggles still resulted in a quality start while seeing his ERA bump up to a still-good 3.24. He’ll be back on the bump against the Brewers on Wednesday if there’s no change to the rotation order.