In a turn of events, the Atlanta Braves provided a hopeful update for two starting pitchers on the mend. Hurston Waldrep recently received a positive update after receiving multiple opinions from doctors.
The expectation is that he and Spencer Strider will start throwing progressions sometime this week. For the latter in particular, this is a twist. The assumption was that he was out for the year. While Weiss doesn’t want to say they can count on either arm quite yet, he said things have been positive lately, so a throwing program was greenlit.
“That’s why it’s tough to put timelines out there, because things change with players that are injured,” Weiss said to the media on Monday. “Their progressions change. It’s never linear. I just think he’s feeling good – that the tests are positive.”
Strider was shut down in June after he experienced an injury at Citi Field, when the Braves were playing the Mets. His velocity took a major dip, down to around 87 mph. The Braves quickly yanked him from the game. He has been shut down from throwing since.
For both Strider and Waldrep, don’t expect either to make an impact in the rotation regardless of their status. Weiss said they could potentially be helpful out of the bullpen. They’ll cross that bridge when they get there, but those are the conversations that will be had.
It’s clear that having them back in any capacity is still a best-case scenario. The Braves have other options that would be ahead of them for help in the rotation. AJ Smith-Shawver is close to being back full-time in the rotation. He’s expected to get at least another start in Triple-A.
Reynaldo López is progressing toward a return. He’s been throwing, and the expectation is that he’ll be back. Tyler Mahle is a new option in the rotation. There are around seven options or so that could be at their disposal for the postseason and be more reliable for the postseason.
Throwing Stride or Waldrep out there in any situation could be a major risk. They would have to show quickly that they’re sharp and ready to roll to pitch in October. Again, that also assumes they’re even healthy enough to be in the discussion.
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