The Atlanta Braves entered spring training with expectations of bouncing back following a difficult 2025 season. However, their 2026 outlook has taken a blow so far this spring.
In all reality, it started during the offseason when shortstop Ha-Seong Kim suffered an injury that was expected to keep him out for the first month or two of the regular season. There was no need to panic, though, as Kim wasn’t expected to miss too much time during the season.
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Then spring training started and it was revealed that both Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep were dealing with elbow injuries. They are both expected to miss significant amounts of time as a result.
Most recently, the news of Jurickson Profar testing positive for a PED for a second consecutive season was announced. Unless he wins his appeal, Profar will be suspended for the entire 162-game 2026 season.
The Braves are in a challenging position without question. The roster, as currently constructed, still features enough talent to potentially compete in 2026. With that being said, many of the Braves’ stars have concerning injury histories.
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It feels like this team is one or two injuries away from being on the verge of another forgettable season. Hopefully Atlanta’s currently healthy players can avoid the injury bug, but if the Braves do end up battling further injury trouble and underperform as a result, would they consider a rebuild?
Atlanta has often featured a contending team throughout the years. The idea of the Braves entering a complete rebuild almost seems unrealistic. If the team struggles throughout the first few months of the ’26 campaign, though, would they consider the idea of selling at the trade deadline?
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A number of Braves players are under contract for multiple seasons. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the players who will either be free agents after the 2026 season or only have one or two additional years remaining on their contracts become available in trade discussions if the Braves underperform.
Atlanta has built a roster around players who have missed time due to injury trouble.
Chris Sale is still one of the best pitchers in baseball, but even he was limited in 2025. Spencer Strider has battled injury trouble over the years. Ronald Acuna Jr. is one of the best players in baseball, but he’s only appeared in 120 or more games twice during his time in MLB, and Acuna made his big league debut in 2018. Austin Riley has been limited by injury concerns over the past two years.
The harsh reality is that the list goes on. If the Braves are unable to find success in 2026, they may need to seriously consider starting over and trading some players for prospects.