Braves' Hurston Waldrep Battling Elbow Soreness; MRI Reveals Loose Bodies

Hurston Waldrep reported right-elbow soreness shortly after a live batting-practice session and underwent an MRI that showed loose bodies in the joint but no ligament damage. The 23-year-old right-hander is scheduled to consult with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Feb. 16 to determine whether those loose bodies will require a procedure, and the club is expected to consider shutting him down while the issue is evaluated.

Manager Walt Weiss described the imaging matter bluntly: "There’s some things in there that shouldn’t be there, I guess. I think it’s fairly common with pitchers." Weiss added caution about specifics: "I don’t want to elaborate on the loose bodies, because I’m not totally sure, but it probably needs to be dealt with. I don't know what that looks like as far as procedure or anything, but I guess Dr. Meister will let us know." Weiss also noted Waldrep's velocity in camp, saying, "He’s a young kid with a promising future" and that "the other day, he opened up some eyes popping 99 (mph) right out of the gate."

Waldrep's medical situation arrives at a delicate moment for his development and for Atlanta's rotation planning. The righty was selected 24th overall in the 2023 draft and made his MLB debut less than a year after being taken. Early big-league results included a rough initial sample, a 16.71 ERA over his first two starts and seven innings, after which he was placed on the 15-day injured list for elbow inflammation and spent about six weeks on the shelf before being activated and optioned back to Triple-A. In a larger sample last season, Waldrep showed promise, posting a 2.88 ERA over 56.1 innings with 55 strikeouts.

Club decision-makers now face short-term roster consequences. Spencer Schwellenbach is already on the 60-day injured list with elbow inflammation, and Atlanta is slated to be without catcher Sean Murphy (hip) and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (hand) for Opening Day. If Waldrep is shut down or begins the year on at least the 15-day injured list while completing a delayed ramp, the Braves will need to address the fifth rotation spot that General Manager Alex Anthopoulos said would be settled through competition this spring. With Carlos Rodón and Jared Shuster not penciled in here, the projected rotation has Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes, and Bryce Elder is being viewed as a likely frontrunner for the fifth slot if no external addition is made; veterans like Lucas Giolito and Michael Wacha remain available as options.

Next steps hinge on Dr. Meister's consultation and whether the loose bodies require arthroscopic removal. The club has described the timeline as uncertain and compared the situation to Spencer Schwellenbach's elbow issues, noting return-to-play dates will depend on the extent of any procedure. The immediate items to watch are the Meister evaluation outcome, any official injured-list move for Waldrep, and whether Atlanta pursues additional starting depth before Opening Day.