The Atlanta Braves were recently dealt an unfortunate injury blow, as it was revealed that starter Spencer Schwellenbach will miss a significant amount of time due to an elbow injury. Schwellenbach’s injury led to uncertainty in the rotation, but Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos revealed four of the team’s five starting pitchers for the 2026 rotation on Friday. According to Chad Bishop, Anthopoulos said Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Reynaldo Lopez will be joined by Grant Holmes.
Meanwhile, the No. 5 rotation spot is open at the moment. Multiple pitchers will compete for the No. 5 spot.
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Holmes’ rotation spot is now guaranteed. Before Friday, it was uncertain if he would be in the 2026 big league rotation. Hurston Waldrep and Bryce Elder are among the starters who may draw consideration for the No. 5 spot.
Holmes, 29, has pitched in a total of 48 big league games in his career. The contests came between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He has started 28 of the 48 games that he’s appeared in.
Holmes primarily worked in relief during his rookie season, making 26 appearances, seven of which were starts. The right-handed hurler turned in a respectable 3.56 ERA overall.
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In 2025, the Braves gave him a more consistent role. He ultimately started 21 of the 22 games he pitched in. Holmes finished the year with a 3.99 ERA and 123 strikeouts.
He displayed potential to say the least. Holmes clearly impressed the Braves, as he has already been announced as a member of the starting rotation before spring training — something that does not always occur for pitchers with uncertain roles.
Schwellenbach’s injury may have played a role, but it seems as if Holmes would have been the No. 5 starter if Schwellenbach was healthy. Now, Holmes becomes the No. 4 starter as the No. 5 spot remains open at the moment.
The battle for the Braves’ final rotation spot will be worth closely monitoring throughout the spring. However, there is a chance that Atlanta will sign or trade for a veteran starter. If that occurs, Atlanta will have its answer for the final rotation spot.
Who do you expect to join the starting rotation? Will the Braves turn to a player already on the roster or someone who is currently in free agency or on another ball club?