Hurston Waldrep exits Triple-A start with arm injury, possible surgery ahead

Hurston Waldrep’s latest run at Triple-A Gwinnett was cut short Sunday when right arm discomfort forced the Braves right-hander out after just 36 pitches, halting a start that had opened with three scoreless innings. The setback came as Atlanta waits on further testing, and it immediately clouded Waldrep’s path back into the big-league picture.

Braves manager Walt Weiss said before Monday’s game against the Padres that Waldrep may need surgery to remove “loose bodies” in his arm. Weiss also said Waldrep was pulled from the outing after his arm “didn’t feel right,” a jarring development for a pitcher the Braves had sent back to Gwinnett to keep building momentum after prior major-league and rehab-related moves.

The outing had been trending in the right direction until the injury hit. Waldrep worked three shutout innings for the Stripers before leaving with the arm issue, and his sinker averaged 92.8 mph, below his season norm, a possible sign that something was off before he exited. For a former first-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft, the timing was especially difficult, because this was supposed to be another step in a progression aimed at getting him back to Atlanta.

Instead, the focus shifted to his arm and the tests that will determine the next move. If surgery becomes necessary, it would put a pause on any near-term major-league consideration and leave one of the Braves’ higher-upside pitching prospects in limbo. Atlanta’s rotation was already thin, and the injury was described as another blow to the club’s starting-pitching depth.

That matters because Waldrep was not simply passing through Gwinnett. He had recently returned to Triple-A to continue his development after earlier stints and rehab work, with the Braves using the level as a proving ground for his next chance in Atlanta. Now the questions are bigger than a promotion timetable: whether the loose bodies need to be removed, how long he is sidelined, and when he can resume the innings buildup that had him back in the Braves’ plans.