Joey Wentz and the Braves may have gotten relatively lucky after the left-hander was carted off the field with an apparent right leg injury during today’s game with the Rays. According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Wentz will undergo tests to determine the extent of the injury, but initial examinations indicate that Wentz likely isn’t dealing with anything too serious. Wentz hurt himself while covering first base on a bunt attempt in the fifth inning, and the cart ride may have been precautionary, as he was able to get to and from the cart without assistance or any overt discomfort.
While it seems like Wentz may be okay, his situation naturally drew concern given how Atlanta’s rotation depth has already been tested this spring. Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep each underwent surgery in February to remove loose bodies from their elbows, leaving both starters on the injured list for at least (and in a best-case scenario) the first two months of the regular season. These injuries created an opportunity for Wentz and other depth starters to compete for the fifth spot in the Braves’ rotation, and Wentz has helped his bid with a 3.18 ERA over 5 2/3 innings of Grapefruit League action. If this leg problem ends up winds up sidelining Wentz for any decent amount of time, it could open the door for Bryce Elder or non-roster invite Martin Perez as the fifth starter.
More from around the NL East…
- Left-hander Dax Fulton was one of five players optioned to the Marlins‘ minor league camp today, though “he’s much closer than he was to be able to come up and really help us” in the majors, manager Clayton McCullough told MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola and other reporters. McCullough implied that Fulton could be called up to pitch out of Miami’s bullpen during the regular season, though the southpaw will continue to be stretched out as a starting pitcher in Spring Training. A second-round pick for Miami in the 2020 draft, Fulton was a well-regarded prospect before a UCL surgery cost him most of the 2023 season and the entirety of the 2025 campaign. Fulton returned to action in 2025 and posted a 5.38 ERA over 103 2/3 combined innings with the Marlins’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, starting 22 of his 23 games. While the Marlins don’t want to close the door on Fulton’s rotation potential at age 24, allowing him to make his Major League debut as a reliever would perhaps help ease Fulton’s transition to the Show.
- Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller is still battling lower-back problems, and seems like a candidate to begin the season on the Triple-A injured list. Miller played through a similar injury at the end of the 2025 minor league season, and the back issue has kept him off the field this spring. Despite the lingering nature of Miller’s bad back and the fact that the prospect visited the Phillies’ medical staff in Philadelphia on Friday, manager Rob Thomson told The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes and other reporters that the team isn’t too concerned about the injury, even though “we don’t have a timeline” as to when Miller might get back on the field. “I mean, he hasn’t swung a bat in two weeks. So, we just want to get him healthy, where there’s no pain, and get him back playing again,” Thomson said. A consensus pick as one of baseball’s top position-player prospects, Miller needs a bit more minor league seasoning (he played in just eight Triple-A games in 2025) but is expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026, with an eye towards a starting role in the Phillies’ infield by 2027.
