The Atlanta Braves are heading into a crucial four-game road series against the New York Mets this week—but they’ll have to do it without their ace.
The Braves are now forced to recalibrate after shifting their rotation last week to ensure Chris Sale faced the Mets at Truist Park (which he did brilliantly). Sale is officially on the 15-day injured list with a fractured rib cage, and the rotation is taking on a new look just as the games get heavier.
According to The Athletic’s David O’Brien, the Braves are lining up Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Didier Fuentes, and Grant Holmes as their starters in this make-or-break series. It’s not just a rematch—it’s a reality check.
Depending on how Sunday’s games shook out, Atlanta will open the series between 9 and 11 games behind the first-place Mets. And even a split here may not be enough.
From Cy Young to “Who’s Next?”
Sale’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. In his last 10 starts, the reigning NL Cy Young winner had posted a 5-2 record with a 1.23 ERA—an ace in every sense of the word. His most recent outing? A lights-out, 8 2/3-inning shutout gem against these same Mets. The Braves won that game 5-0, and the timing felt like a statement.
Fuentes, the 20-year-old right-hander who debuted last Friday, will get the first crack at filling Sale’s spot. He showed flashes against Miami—five innings, three strikeouts, four runs allowed—but he’ll be facing a much tougher task this week. He must help the Braves keep pace with a division rival in a playoff race.
A Young Rotation, a Tall Task
Schwellenbach and Strider will open the series on Monday and Tuesday. Strider has looked sharper in his last few starts, showing signs that he may be turning a corner post-injury.
Schwellenbach, meanwhile, continues to mature with every outing. Still, this series will test their poise. Four games in New York with the season’s momentum on the line is a different kind of challenge.
Grant Holmes is set to close the set on Thursday. He’s quietly been a steady hand in the back of the rotation, and the Braves will need him to continue that trend. This will be his biggest start yet.
Braves Have No Margin Left
Typically, teams are happy to split a four-game road series. But this isn’t a typical series. With Atlanta trailing the Mets by double digits in the standings, every win counts as double right now. A 2-2 split might keep them treading water, but a 3-1 or 4-0 series could completely reshape the divisional race—or bury it for good.
The Braves have one thing working in their favor: recent dominance over the Mets. Since the start of 2023, Atlanta is 20-9 against New York, including a 9-5 mark on the road. And after last week’s sweep at Truist Park, they’ve got the psychological edge—if they can sustain it without their ace.
Can the Kids Carry the Load?
With Sale sidelined and the team still playing without Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider not yet at full throttle, this next stretch will test Atlanta’s depth, development, and resolve.
Didier Fuentes isn’t being asked to replace Sale’s production—but he is being asked to hold a crucial spot in a playoff-push rotation. That’s no small task for a pitcher not even old enough to order a beer.
The Braves are banking on youth, resilience, and recent momentum to keep them in the NL East hunt. But the margin for error is razor-thin—and the next four games in Queens may go a long way in deciding how far this team can go in 2025.
