Ahead of yesterday’s series finale against the New York Mets, Braves manager Walt Weiss spoke to media about some pitchers we’re hoping are making their way back to the big club this season.
Robert Suarez
With every “Tyler Kinley in extras” and “Iggy stressfully closes the door”, the absence of Robert Suarez has been more and more deeply felt. The mystery around the right forearm tightness that has sidelined him since mid-June has finally cleared somewhat: we have finally heard that the righty setup man start playing catch this week. He was shown briefly on last night’s broadcast in the dugout.
We’re hoping for minimal setbacks as he makes the steps toward a throwing progression and rehab. It goes without saying, but it would be ideal to get him back to fortify our bullpen and to get some meaningful outs this fall.
Spencer Schwellenbach
For those already nervous about the timeline laid out for Schwelly to return in ‘26, the latest update doesn’t do much to assauge the concerns. Mark Bowman reported that Spencer still “hasn’t felt 100%” in the bullpen sessions he started at the end of July. It’s not definitive that he won’t return, but he would need to progress to facing live hitters sooner rather than later – it’s already mid-August.
AJ Smith-Shawver
AJSS is fine – better than fine, actually. He’s been dominating in Triple-A Gwinnett as he works on polishing up the arsenal and getting deeper into games. We’ll likely see him back up for good for the rest of ‘26 soon, maybe even as soon as next week’s funky road trip. His role with the team, however, is still in discussion. There will be a bit of a rotation logjam with both his and Reynaldo López’s expected returns, and Weiss has made it known that he doesn’t favor a six-man rotation. Who becomes a bullpen weapon? We’ll have to wait and see.