From Tommy John to The Show: Why JR Ritchie Could Be the Braves' Next Breakout Ace

Today marks a major moment and a tremendous accomplishment for JR Ritchie and his family. I've worked for his father for the better part of a decade, which has given me the opportunity to follow baseball and football closely while competing at a high level in fantasy sports.

In 2023, Ritchie's dad told me his son needed Tommy John surgery-a devastating moment for any young pitching prospect. While many pitchers come back stronger than ever from significant elbow injuries, there are still cases where arms never fully regain their previous form.

https://t.co/J71d9uDqU1pic.twitter.com/2X9KpzcOPj

- Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 23, 2026

I remember telling Ian Ritchie that, as disappointing as the injury was, it's often better to undergo the procedure during minor league development than to lose valuable major league time.

After dominating over his final two seasons at Bainbridge High School (13-0, allowing just three runs with 128 strikeouts over 59.0 innings), the Braves selected JR Ritchie 35th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft. He pitched well across his first 21 minor league games (3.14 ERA, 1.086 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts over 77.1 innings), but his right elbow ultimately required Tommy John surgery in late May 2023.

Ritchie battled command issues (eight walks) over his first 14.1 innings at High-A in 2025, but still posted strong results (2.51 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). His right arm flashed star potential over his next four outings, allowing just two runs with 26 strikeouts over 27.1 innings while issuing only two walks. His standout performance on May 10-a complete-game, one-hit shutout with one walk and nine strikeouts-earned him a promotion to Double-A.

Over his final 19 starts last season between Double-A and Triple-A, Ritchie went 4-5 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.098 WHIP, and 102 strikeouts over 98.1 innings. His walk rate (4.0) remains a concern, but hitters managed just 64 hits against him. This year, his arm has continued to trend upward at Triple-A, with one run allowed, 10 hits, no home runs, and 25 strikeouts over 23.2 innings across his last four appearances.

In tracked games this spring, Ritchie's four-seam fastball averaged 94.3 mph. He also increased usage of his changeup (22.5%), curveball (17.3%), and cutter (10.7%), while slightly reducing reliance on his slider (10.7%) and sinker (14.0%). His four-seamer accounted for just 24.8% of his pitches.

The Braves have now called up Ritchie to face the Washington Nationals on the road Thursday. He enters as a -135 favorite over Cade Cavalli, with the game carrying a relatively high total (9.5). In five Triple-A starts this season, he's thrown 87, 92, 83, 79, and 94 pitches.

The Nationals' offense has been active, scoring 142 runs (second-most in MLB), with a recent surge (8, 5, 6, 3, 4, 11, and 6 runs over their last seven games-6.14 per game).

With Spencer Strider nearing a return, Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie will need to leapfrog Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes, or Bryce Elder on the depth chart to secure meaningful innings for both the Braves and the fantasy market.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as From Tommy John to The Show: Why JR Ritchie Could Be the Braves' Next Breakout Ace.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 9:56 AM.