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The Atlanta Braves will be without one of their backend starting pitchers for the entire 2026 season.
The NL East club announced that left-hander Joey Wentz suffered a torn ACL after landing awkwardly on first base during Sunday's spring game. Wentz, a former first-round pick in 2016, was covering first on a dribbler hit by Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls.
“I feel bad for the kid more than anything else,” Braves manager Walt Weiss told MLB.com's Mark Bowman. “I told him, 'You never know what this is going to lead to. You come back, and maybe you're stronger than ever from the rehab, and it turns your career around. You’ve got to stay positive and in these moments.'”
Wentz was projected as the Braves' sixth starter or a middle relief option out of the bullpen.
Next man up for Atlanta's rotation
Atlanta's starting rotation will be thin to open the season.
Right-handers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep will both start the year on the 60-day injured list, requiring similar surgeries to remove loose bodies from their throwing elbows.
That puts tremendous pressure on Chris Sale and Spencer Strider to perform well early on, but both All-Stars have injury histories of their own. Non-roster invite Martin Perez may be the leading candidate to replace Wentz on the Opening Day roster.
The 34-year-old Perez posted a respectable 3.54 ERA and struck out 44 batters in 56 innings last season with the Chicago White Sox.
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