The Atlanta Braves are preparing to begin the 2026 MLB season without a number of starting pitchers due to injury. Spencer Strider is among those pitchers. On Thursday, the Braves’ plan to replace Strider in the rotation was revealed, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

According to Bowman, Grant Holmes will pitch in Strider’s rotation spot on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. Bryce Elder will then pitch on Monday against the Athletics. Atlanta is reportedly choosing between Didier Fuentes, Martin Perez and Jose Suarez as candidates to start Atlanta’s fifth game of the season.

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In addition to Strider, the Braves are currently without starters Spencer Schwellenbach, Joey Wentz and Hurston Waldrep. They are going to need all of their current starters to step up amid all of the injury absences.

The Braves are going to need Holmes to be at his best in 2026. They are already short-handed, and Holmes features the ability to make a legitimate impact on the mound.

Holmes has pitched in a total of 48 games at the big league level. 28 of those were starts. In his first MLB season, Holmes was primarily a reliever, working just seven starts out of his 26 appearances. The 2025 campaign saw Holmes start 21 of his 22 contests, however.

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He pitched to a 3.99 ERA across 115 innings a season ago. Holmes performed well, displaying signs of potential. He was announced as a starter early in spring training this year.

Chris Sale is the best pitcher on the team. Reynaldo Lopez is a quality veteran. However, having a reliable third starter is of the utmost importance. The Braves would certainly benefit from having Holmes perform well in 2026.

Atlanta’s first game of the regular season is scheduled for 7:15 PM EST against the Kansas City Royals. The Braves will then play the Royals on Saturday and Sunday to conclude the series. Atlanta will continue its homestand with three games against the Athletics from Monday through Wednesday.

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It could be a challenging season for this Braves squad. Atlanta certainly has work to do in order to make any kind of competitive run. They missed the postseason a year ago, so the team is hoping to return in 2026.

Starting pitching will be the key as a number of pitchers who will earn starts will attempt to replace the injured hurlers on the roster.