Atlanta Braves starter Bryce Elder underwent surgery to repair his knee Tuesday, and will miss three to four weeks in recovery. Elder's recovery time will restrict him from appearing for the remainder of the 2026 regular season, but could make a return to the mound in the postseason if the Braves make a run. Tuesday marks the first time Elder has gone on the injured list in his MLB career.
The procedure removed bone fragments in his leg, and Elder first noted soreness in his knee following a start in July. Elder, a one time All-Star, got off to a great start to the year, posting a minuscule 2.50 ERA through his 12th start of the season in May. He struggled to produce the same results afterwards, though, as a rough June and a difficult August brought his ERA to 4.11.
On the year, Elder made 26 starts and had 121 strikeouts through 149 innings pitched, boasting an even 8-8 record. Elder's only All-Star selection came In 2023, the only season of his MLB career where he made more than 30 starts. He posted a 3.81 ERA that season and had a career-high 2.7 bWAR.
His 174.2 innings also qualified as a career high, and he had 128 strikeouts on the season. His following two seasons didn't bear the same fruit, though, as he registered a negative bWAR across each of the following two seasons. Luckily for the Braves, they have plenty of talent in their starting rotation to replace Elder.
Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle and Grant Holmes all likely command a spot in the Braves' core of starters, and they also have Martin Perez and AJ Smith-Shawver to round out the rotation. Additionally, Reynaldo Lopez is set to return from the injured list—likely as a corresponding move to Elder's trip to the IL — so he could join that group as well. With just a few weeks remaining in the MLB regular season, the Braves hold a four-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East and currently sit as the third seed in the NL.
They'll hope their rotation can help boost them into the second seed for a Wild Card round bye without Elder.
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