Braves pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep advances rehab to Double-A Columbus for Thursday start

The Atlanta Braves are in the middle of a midweek series in Chicago, but the next notable pitching development for the organization is set to unfold in Columbus, Georgia. Hurston Waldrep, the Braves’ right-hander rehabbing from an elbow procedure, is scheduled to make another rehab appearance with Double-A Columbus on Thursday, according to team-related reporting and Columbus’ own publication of the plan.

Waldrep’s next step represents an upward move within Atlanta’s player development pipeline. After pitching in the Florida Complex League earlier in June, he is set to leave the rookie level and face more advanced competition in the Double-A environment, where hitters are closer in experience to what he would see in the majors. The move is also the next phase of a larger rehab timetable that teams generally use to balance innings, mechanics, and recovery before a potential return to the big-league rotation.

According to reports, Braves pitching coordinator Walt Weiss informed the media of Waldrep’s updated rehab schedule during a pregame presser, with the Columbus Clingstones confirming the plan via a press release. The staging matters because Double-A is often viewed as the most meaningful checkpoint for prospects who are nearing MLB readiness, especially for pitchers building consistency across multiple outings.

Waldrep is 24 and was selected by Atlanta with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida. At the Double-A level, he has prior experience dating to his earlier professional seasons, carrying a record of 3-5 with a 2.88 ERA across 12 career starts between 2023 and 2024, per reporting that compiled his minor-league production to date.

The rehab itself began after his offseason right-elbow surgery, which led to his placement on the Braves’ 60-day injured list. His Florida Complex League rehab included two outings on June 1 and June 6, with each start spanning two innings, according to published game summaries of those appearances. Those short stints are typical early in a rehab run, when the priority is limiting stress on the arm and confirming that throwing stays controlled over a sequence of pitches.

The Thursday outing in Columbus also carries organizational significance. Reports have described Waldrep as the first Atlanta Braves pitcher assigned to Columbus on a major-league rehab assignment, reflecting how the Braves are mapping his recovery and readiness to a specific affiliate and a specific competition level. It is a practical decision, but it also gives the Braves a clean evaluation window at a stage where many players either move forward quickly or require additional time.

Even with an advanced rehab appearance scheduled, the return to Atlanta is not the immediate expectation that fans might assume from a Double-A step. CBS Sports reported that after Thursday, Waldrep will likely need a couple more minor-league starts before making his 2026 MLB debut, a reminder that the rehab process often requires multiple checkpoints rather than a single decisive start.

What to watch next is straightforward: whether Waldrep can progress his pitch count and innings without obvious mechanical backslides, and whether the Braves keep the schedule tight or make adjustments based on how he responds after the outing. Thursday’s start in Columbus is the next visible milestone in that process, and it could shape how quickly Atlanta decides he is ready to contribute at the major-league level.