When I say that Yaz made his presence felt immediately, I mean it - he hit second for the Braves in this one and he took the first pitch he saw from Rays pitcher T.J. Nichols and crushed it deep to center field to put the Braves ahead early on in this one. Nichols left one right in Yaz's wheelhouse and he made no mistake with it in order to crack his first homer (of spring training) with the Braves.
The wait is finally over, and the Atlanta Braves kick off play in the Grapefruit League this afternoon. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco has been named today's starter against the Tampa Bay Rays. After just a few games with Atlanta last season, Carrasco looks to make an impression in his spring debut. Mike Yastrzemski, Jonah Heim, Eli White and Jorge Mateo will also be getting in on the action and making an appearance in today's matchup. First pitch is slated for 1:05 ET.
Both Schwellenbach, 25, and Waldrep, 23, were known to have issues with the elbows before today's announcement, so Braves fans may not be freaking out as much as it would seem from the outside. Still, each young righty was outstanding in a partial big league season in 2025, and was expected to be a major contributor this year to a very good Braves team.
That Atlanta Braves have taken another blow to their potential starting rotation with news this afternoon that starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep had an MRI after experiencing discomfort in his elbow while throwing batting practice. The MRI showed "loose bodies" but no ligament damage. Braves manager Walt Weiss met with the media and gave some additional details on Waldrep's status. Weiss said Waldrep will be meeting with doctors on Monday. The assumption is that some type of procedure will be needed.
