Pitching injuries are pretty much unavoidable for every team in Major League Baseball.
In today’s game of elite velocity, and high spin rate secondary stuff injuries are the unfortunate partner to many successful pitchers. However, pitching injuries to the level that the Atlanta Braves have sustained over the past few seasons would classify as an abnormal amount.
The Braves have lost their entire Opening Day rotation due to injury; the amount of pitchers who have started a game for Atlanta is an alarming 16 different names.
Sadly, the Braves have been forced to scrape the barrel a few times and let Austin Cox, Davis Daniel, and the ghost of Carlos Carrasco start games in 2025. The high figure mentioned ties the injury riddled Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff for most starting pitchers used in the National League this season.
Before this nightmarish season, the Braves put together a string of seven consecutive postseasons made.
Despite their ability to punch their ticket to play in October in seasons past, for several of those postseason’s the rotation has been hampered for the most important games of the year.
Tawhile, fans can become restless at a process that has clearly been unsuccessful in keeping Atlanta’s arms healthy. Because of that, long time pitching coach Rick Kranitz could be an under the radar name the Braves front office moves on from this winter.
Braves failing process in keeping pitchers healthy could eventually cost Rick Kranitz his job
The league-wide expectation concerning the Braves is that Brian Snitker will retire following the conclusion of 2025. Because change feels imminent in the Braves dugout, more coaching shuffling could follow if the Braves so choose.
Rick Kranitz has been a superb pitching coach since he arrived in Atlanta in 2019, but often times when a front office has the chance to clean house and bring in new philosophies, the entire coaching staff falls victim.
The Braves are a franchise that pride itself on stability so that could save Kranitz in that sense.
However, a real argument can be made for the continued failure to keep Atlanta’s best arms healthy for October.
Of course, Chris Sale’s back spasms in 2024, and Max Fried’s blister in 2023, weren’t the result of anything Kranitz did specifically.
However, unless the Braves can figure this problem out in future Septembers/Octobers, winning postseason series is going to be that much more difficult.
Kranitz has done an amazing job developing some of the Braves’ best young arms. On top of that, we’ve seen him work magic with guys like Joey Wentz, Dylan Lee, and Grant Holmes.
With that said, the Braves cannot be successful in 2026 without fixing whatever problems they have with keeping their pitchers healthy. The organizational depth clearly isn’t built to withstand the rash of injuries that has hit Atlanta’s rotation the past few seasons, and at the end of the day Kranitz may not be built for it either.
