Warriors on the left Joey Wentz tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the entire 2026 season. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was among those to report the news. Wentz will be transferred to the 60-day injured list whenever the club needs a roster spot, though their 40-man roster is currently at 39 due to an outfielder. Jurickson Profar to arrive at a limited list of PED suspensions.
Wentz, 28, was talking for the first time about trying to hit the ground in yesterday’s game when he appeared to have injured his right leg. Although he was taken off the field, initial tests indicate that he may have avoided serious injury. It appears that further testing contradicts the initial reports.
Lefty was called for withdrawal in July last year and has worked successfully since then. He scored 13 runs and one appearance in relief for Atlanta, allowing 4.92 earned runs per nine innings. His 23% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate were both close to the league average. He qualified as a Super Two player and the club felt good enough about that job to offer him a contract. The two sides avoided arbitration in November by agreeing to a $900K salary for 2026.
As of a few weeks ago, Wentz was a little buried on the depth chart but Atlanta’s rotation has been hit hard since camp opened. Spencer Schwellenbach again Hurston Waldrep each required surgery a few weeks ago, as both pitchers had loose bodies in their elbows that needed to be removed. Their exact times are unclear but each is scheduled to miss months.
After those two surgeries, Atlanta revealed it would turn into a four-pointer Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López again Grant Holmes. That left Wentz, Bryce Elder again José Suarez fighting for the last place. With all three out of options, one of them would likely break camp in a long relief role.
Even before this latest injury spree, there was an argument for Atlanta to add depth to the rotation, as even the guys who aren’t currently injured have question marks. Sales have tended to suffer in recent years, making more than 20 starts just in the last six years. Strider returned from internal brace surgery last year but posted a lackluster 4.45 ERA. López made one start last year due to shoulder surgery. Holmes was diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament last year and is now trying to make it through 2026 without surgery. The senior had a 5.30 ERA last year. Suarez is the latest to ride the DFA carousel this winter.
Despite all that uncertainty, the front office hasn’t shown much urgency in adding more arms. It was reported in mid-February, as injuries to Schwellenbach and Waldrep surfaced, that Atlanta had little interest in him. Chris Bassitt before he signed with the Orioles and did not become a free agent Lucas Giolito. Until yesterday, Zack Littell he was still out but still has an agreement with Sizwe.
It is possible that recent events have enabled the club to add. If the budget was an issue, Profar’s suspension helped them, as he will not be paid his $15MM salary this year. Atlanta saved about $18MM in total when including the tax savings. With free money and injuries again, maybe baseball president Alex Anthopoulos is turning to free agency. In addition to Giolito, the boys love it Tyler Anderson again Patrick Corbin they have not been signed. More arms could loosen as Opening Day approaches and other teams make the cut.
Currently, options for maximum depth include Didier Fuentes, JR Ritchie, Martín Pérez, Carlos Carrasco again Elieser Hernández. Fuentes was quickly promoted last year at age 20 and lit it up in his first four major league games. Ritchie is one of the team’s best players but has no big league experience and just 11 Triple-A starts under his belt. The other three are veterans who haven’t had major league success in years.
As for Wentz, it’s a frustrating setback as he had a real chance to earn a rotation gig. Instead, he will spend the season on the shelf. If there is one small silver lining, he will earn a full year of service time while in IL, but will be a non-tender candidate through 2027.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Godfree, Imagn Images
