There might not have been a bigger storyline across Major League Baseball in the lead-up to the 2026 season than the Atlanta Braves‘ starting rotation.

They were dealing with a litany of injuries to the group, with five starting pitchers beginning the season on the sideline for various amounts of time.

However, as Mark Bowman of MLB.com notes, through the first week of the year, they’ve actually managed to be okay. The Braves, somehow, might’ve dodged a major issue with their starting rotation.

Braves might’ve dodged a major SP problem

“Braves: rotation concerns have been quieted,” Bowman writes. “… Depth remains a concern, but so far, so good for a group that lost four pitchers to injuries during Spring Training.”

The Braves’ rotation is off to a far-better start than most would’ve expected coming into the regular season with all of the injuries and question marks in the rotation.

Chris Sale was the only non-issue, and he’s been great so far. Reynaldo Lopez went six innings, allowing just one run with a fastball that was back in the mid-90’s.

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Grant Holmes’ three runs allowed in five innings weren’t ideal, but it’s not so bad that these rotation issues are a major problem.

But, not only was Bryce Elder good, pitching six scoreless innings against the Athletics‘ strong lineup, but Martin Perez even held the A’s scoreless in 4.1 innings of work.

The only issue was Jose Suarez, who had allowed four runs in 3.2 innings of work. But, he’s not likely to be in the rotation long-term.

Once Spencer Strider returns, and if one or multiple of Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Schwellenbach, and AJ Smith-Shayver return, the Braves’ rotation could be in a good spot that completely dispels any worries entering the season.

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