The Atlanta Braves are calling up right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach to make his MLB debut on Wednesday, the team announced. The Braves will play the third game of a four-game home series with the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.
Schwellenbach, 23, was a two-way player in college and Atlanta's second-round pick in 2021. He had Tommy John surgery soon after the draft and is now a full-time pitcher having a breakout season: 45 innings with a 1.80 ERA and 51 strikeouts against only 10 walks. Schwellenbach started 2024 in High Class-A and was promoted to Double-A two weeks ago. He is skipping over Triple-A.
Our R.J. Anderson did not rank Schwellenbach among Atlanta's top three prospects coming into 2024. His breakout season would certainly have him in the mix now though. Here is a snippet of MLB Pipeline's scouting report:
Especially since it was his first competitive work post-surgery, Schwellenbach's feel for pitching and potential four-pitch arsenal was particularly impressive. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he can reach back for more. He has two breaking pitches with a hard mid-80s slider and a slightly slower curve, with the former a bit better, though both can be very effective. He has feel for a mid-80s changeup with sink ... The athleticism that allowed Schwellenbach to play shortstop at the Division I level shows up in his ability to repeat his simple delivery consistently. That leads to a lot of strike-throwing
Schwellenbach will be the 11th different starting pitcher used by the Braves this season, tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers for the most in baseball. Clearly, using so many different starters is not an impediment to success.
Atlanta has had a revolving door in the No. 5 starter's spot since Spencer Strider's season-ending elbow surgery. Bryce Elder (five starts), Darius Vines (two), Ray Kerr (one), AJ Smith-Shawver (one), and Allan Winans (one) have all made starts this year. Max Fried, Reynaldo López, Charlie Morton, and Chris Sale are the club's four regular starters.
It's unclear whether Schwellenbach is making a spot start or coming up for good. His performance will certainly have a say in that. In addition to replacing Strider, the Braves have used a sixth starter at times this season to give everyone extra rest. Fried and Sale have had injuries in recent years, Morton is 40, and López is in his first year as a starter after three years as a reliever.
The Braves enter play Wednesday in second place in the NL East at 31-21. They are 5-8 in their last 13 games and 12-12 in May. Atlanta is five games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.
