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Braves lose pitcher with 3.18 ERA to season-ending injury
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- Braves lose pitcher with 3.18 ERA to season-ending injury
The Atlanta Braves ' starting rotation was already resembling baseball's equivalent of a MASH unit before Monday's news.
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Joey Wentz , a source of hope for Atlanta's beleaguered rotation in spring training, reportedly has a torn ACL and will miss the 2026 season.
Wentz had allowed two runs in 5.2 spring training innings, a 3.18 ERA. Now he'll join A.J. Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach on the injured list to begin the season. All three are recovering from elbow surgery.
Wentz, 28, went 3-6 with a 4.92 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) for the Braves in 2025. The left-hander The Braves picked Wentz up off waivers from the Minnesota Twins in July, reuiniting him with the organization that seelcted him in the first round (40th overall) of the 2016 draft.
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Wentz never pitched in the majors during his first go-around with the Braves. He was flipped to the Detroit Tigers in July 2019 in the trade that brought Shane Greene to Atlanta.
In four seasons with the Tigers (2022-24), Pittsburgh Pirates (2024-25), Twins (2025) and Braves, Wentz is 11-24 with a 5.57 ERA.
The Washington Nationals scooped up arguably the most durable starting pitcher still available on the free agent market last week, agreeing to terms with right-hander Zack Littell to a one-year contract. He's not an option for the Braves, but right-hander Lucas Giolito is after going 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts for the Boston Red Sox last year.
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