As the offseason goes on, the recovery of Atlanta Braves right-hander Grant Holmes remains promising. In an update last week, the effort to rehab a partially torn UCL is going better than the team expected. 

The goal is to be ready by Spring Training, and perhaps he can pull it off. Even if he can’t, he looks to be on track to pitch in 2026. This is important, just because that’s completely off the table if he had gotten surgery. 

What’s helpful for Holmes is that he’s a pitcher who could be a contributor as either a starting pitcher or a reliever. Here, we’ll dive into how a healthy Holmes can help the Braves in either role.

Value as a Starting Pitcher

Before going down with an injury, Holmes was one of the most reliable starters on the team. He was consistently giving the Braves six innings a start during a time when pitchers were dropping like flies. 

When he fell victim to the injury bug as well, it forced the team to scramble further to fill the gaps. If he can build back up to a starter’s workload this season, then he’s capable of giving the team quality innings every five days. 

The more starting pitching depth, the better. Even if he starts the season in the bullpen, more on that in a moment, he would provide an option should a starter go down. That’s happened plenty, meaning he’s likely to get a chance.

Value as a Reliever 

There are two key reasons why Holmes could find himself in the bullpen this season. One is related to his recovery. He might not be at a starter’s workload yet, so he’s pitching out of the bullpen to keep him healthy. 

Another reason could be that he simply loses out to someone else. The Braves look to add another arm this offseason. That automatically could push Holmes, as well as others, to the bullpen. 

However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The team needs the extra bullpen arms, and he could provide that. He’s pitched well in relief in his career so far. In 20 appearances, he has a 3.03 ERA. 

His experience as a starting pitcher makes him a long relief option as well. For example, let’s say Chris Sale pitches seven innings for the Braves one night. Holmes can come in and pitch the last two and give the rest of the bullpen the night off. It’s especially helpful if the Braves have a multi-run lead already. 

It’s not hard to picture these roles, because he’s done both of them before. This precedent makes it clear that, regardless of where he goes, if he’s healthy, he has a firm place on the Braves’ pitching staff. 

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