Braves reveal plan for starting rotation after Spencer Strider injury report

The Atlanta Braves are coming into the 2026 MLB season with postseason aspirations, but they are going to have to fight an uphill battle if they want to get there.

Not only have they lost a few key players in the lineup and the rotation already, but now Spencer Strider is going on the injured list to begin the season. They need to find new members of the starting rotation.

According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Braves have a plan to move forward with Strider hitting the IL. But that plan won't involve Didier Fuentes in the rotation, instead turning to Martin Perez and Jose Suarez.

Braves reveal SP plan after Strider injury report

"Fuentes will start in Bradenton today. But Weiss indicated the plan is still for Fuentes to open the season as a reliever," Bowman reports. "Jose Suarez will likely be the fifth starter. Martin Perez is among the candidates to fill Strider's void in the rotation."

The Braves, with Strider hitting the injured list with an oblique issue, are going to turn to Suarez to be their fifth starter to begin the season.

This spring, across five games and 16 total innings pitched, Suarez, the 28-year-old lefty, has a 3.38 ERA with a 2-0 record, 14 strikeouts, and a 1.19 WHIP.

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Those aren't terrible numbers by any means. With his 1.89 ERA in 19.1 innings last regular season, there's some hope. But his 5.30 ERA in 396 Major League innings in his career is reason for some concern, and why this spot isn't ideally Suarez's.

Perez is another option for the Braves to turn to this season, as the 34-year-old lefty had a 2.83 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched across four appearances this spring. His 2025 regular season in 11 games was a 3.54 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 56 innings.

But, similar to Suarez, Perez's career ERA of 4.41 isn't exactly ideal for the Braves. But, for now, with Strider and plenty of key starters all on the injured list, these are the best options the Braves have.

Atlanta is beginning the year down a lot of key players, making their pursuit of a postseason spot very difficult before the season's even begun.

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