Atlanta Braves’ Unhealthy Team Still Holding Onto Hope

Here we are! On Friday, at 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time, the Atlanta Braves will have their opening game against the Kansas City Royals. It’s gonna be a pretty big deal because it will be the Braves’ 60th anniversary season in Atlanta, and the night will close out with a fireworks show to celebrate. Will 2026 be a good season for Atlanta?

Struggles With ABS and Spencer Schwellenbach

The Braves did a good job during spring training, but they did seem to have some trouble working with the new Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. They also have quite a few injured players, but they should be able to power through it. While their offense is looking pretty solid, the pitching situation is a little hard to watch.

Back in February, Pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach was having some pain in his arm, which eventually segued into him needing surgery in which bone spurs were removed from his right elbow. He will not be back on the Braves until June or July. Late May would be the best- case scenario. On the bright side, his UCL is fine, so he does not need that dreaded Tommy John surgery.

The Braves Drop Like Flies

Let’s meet some more members of the injured players club. You could say that pitcher Hurston Waldrep is kind of in the same boat as Schwellenbach. He had a procedure back in February in which loose bodies needed to be removed from his right elbow. He will be out for a few months as well.

Then there’s Spencer Strider, who’s been dealing with an oblique strain. It is going to be a couple of weeks in rehab and the minor leagues before he will be back. This won’t be Strider’s first time missing the start of the season either. He missed a ton of the 2025 season as well because of his Tommy John surgery in 2024.

AJ Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery last year because of an unpleasant “pop” sound that his elbow made. Smith-Shawver is still recovering, so there’s a chance he may not be back until 2027.

Then there’s Joe Jiménez, who needed surgery on his left knee back in Oct. 2024, causing him to miss the 2025 season. If that wasn’t bad enough, in Nov. 2025, Jiménez needed a “cleanup” procedure for that same knee, and now it seems he will miss quite a bit of 2026 as well.

The Reliance On Chris Sale

The Atlanta Braves will be going up against some tough competition this season, such as the Philadelphia Phillies in April and the New York Mets this summer. Will they be utterly demolished this year because of their injury-littered roster, or do they have a chance at potentially exceeding expectations?

Well, here’s the thing. They will be heavily relying on left-handed Pitcher Chris Sale. Sale is regarded as an elite, he won a Cy Young Award in 2024, and had a 2.58 ERA in 2025. The guy is held in high regard.

There just seems to be so much pressure on Sale. There are just so few players on the Braves who are in good shape this season, so Sale could potentially be carrying this team. All eyes will be on him, and I can imagine Braves Manager Walt Weiss is just holding his breath, hoping that Sale will come through for the team.

Do the Braves have a decent shot this season? That will depend on two things. Sale’s performance, and the recovery of the other players.