Pitching injuries are nothing new in today’s Major League Baseball. It’s the price of doing business when you’re asking guys to throw 98 mph with a slider that defies gravity. But what the Atlanta Braves are dealing with right now? It’s not just bad luck, it’s a full-blown trend.
Sixteen different pitchers have started a game for Atlanta in 2025. That’s not a rotation, that’s an open casting call. And while fans might have hoped for a call-up like Hurston Waldrep sooner or a rehabbed Ian Anderson to help weather the storm, they instead got names like Davis Daniel and Carlos Carrasco.
This isn’t a new problem, either. Atlanta’s had October dreams derailed by a rotation running on fumes more than once. And now, in 2025, the entire Opening Day rotation has vanished. So at what point does the organization start asking hard questions — not just about bad luck, but about how they’re preparing and protecting their arms?
Could Kranitz Be the Braves’ Fall Guy?
That spotlight may be inching toward Rick Kranitz, the Braves’ pitching coach since 2019. Now, let’s be clear — the guy’s done some incredible work. You don’t develop the likes of Spencer Strider or turn Dylan Lee and Grant Holmes into serviceable arms without serious coaching chops. But when the pattern becomes this consistent, when rotation after rotation buckles down the stretch, it’s fair for the front office to evaluate whether the current methods are sustainable.
And timing matters. With widespread speculation that manager Brian Snitker will retire at the end of the year, the Braves might be in a rare position to hit the reset button throughout the coaching ranks. Organizations often use a manager’s exit as the clean break needed to usher in a new era, and even a respected figure like Kranitz could end up a casualty of that shift.
Now, let’s not pretend a pitching coach is the root of every injury. No amount of coaching can prevent a guy’s back from tightening up or a blister from popping open at the wrong time. But the larger issue is how the Braves manage pitcher usage, build depth, and create a system that can handle the wear and tear of a 162-game season plus October. So far, that system hasn’t held up.
Here’s the harsh truth: the Braves can’t afford another season like this in 2026. This is a team built to win now, not five years from now. If Atlanta can’t keep their arms healthy, it may not matter how talented the roster is. Because you can’t win playoff games without a functioning rotation. And if the current plan can’t deliver that, then big changes — including parting ways with a trusted voice like Kranitz — might just be unavoidable.
