Braves place Schwellenbach on IL with fractured elbow
The Atlanta Braves placed right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a fractured right elbow.
Schwellenbach has a small fracture and won't throw for four weeks, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. He's expected to pitch again in September.
The 25-year-old believes that a recent increase in velocity led to the injury, according to David O'Brien of The Athletic. Five of Schwellenbach's six pitches have seen an uptick in average velocity compared to 2024, while his fastball velocity is sitting in the 87th percentile after ranking in the 79th last season.
The Michigan native was enjoying a terrific sophomore campaign, authoring a 3.09 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 17 starts. He leads the NL in fewest walks per nine (1.5) and ranks 10th in fWAR (2.2).
Schwellenbach joins fellow Atlanta starters Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, and AJ Smith-Shawver on the IL.
The Braves enter Wednesday eight games under .500 and outside a wild-card spot after making the postseason in seven consecutive campaigns.