One month ago, Hurston Waldrep was still a maybe. Maybe he can develop into a back-end starter. Maybe he’ll end up in the bullpen. Maybe he can figure things out and be a factor next year.
Then, the game at Bristol Motor Speedway happened. That was only a month ago, believe it or not. The game started when it probably shouldn’t have because it was the marquee MLB game in front of more than 90,000 fans. The weather was too much, so the game was suspended until Sunday. With Austin Cox starting, but
out of the game’s resumption, the Braves summoned Waldrep from Triple-A for his season debut.
The expectations were low. Maybe Waldrep could get them through three innings. Maybe.
Waldrep gave more than three innings, providing the Braves with 5.2 innings that afternoon. He was sent back down after the game, but had opened a few eyes with this performance. With a double-header looming with the Miami Marlins a week later, Waldrep was expected to start one of those game – which he did – and tossed six strong innings.
He joined the rotation after that start and went on to have one of the best six game stretches to open their big-league season since the team moved to Atlanta.
More on Waldrep in a moment.
August was a fantastic month for outfielder Jurickson Profar, who set career highs for a month in home runs and walks, and gave Atlanta hope that his PED suspension wouldn’t have a lasting impact on his offensive performance given his under contract for two more seasons.
Fellow outfielder Michael Harris II was electric for the first half of the month, but cooled down by the end of August. Second baseman Ozzie Albies seemed to come alive, offensively, in the last half of the month. Matt Olson was steady and Drake Baldwin, who one Sunday night’s game with a home run, continues to show he should be starting every day – somewhere – for the balance of 2025.
In the bullpen, closer Rasiel Iglesias and set-up man Pierce Johnson both allowed only one earned run in double-digit appearances while Iglesias saved 10 games in the month. Newcomer Tyler Kinley was also surprisingly effective, making his $5M 2026 option look more appealing for Atlanta.
But no one could top Waldrep in August.
Battery Power Braves Player of the Month: Hurston Waldrep
Regardless of what happens during the rest of Hurston Waldrep’s career, he will always have August 2025. And what a month it was.
In six games – including five starts after his 5.2-inning relief appearance in his season debut – the former first round drop pick pitched 35.2 innings and allowed only four earned runs while striking out 33 batters. His strikeout number are more impressive considering he didn’t strike out anyone in his second-to-last start of the month.
This season, he’s already amassed 1.0 fWAR thanks in part to his 1.01 ERA and 2.65 FIP. While the ERA isn’t sustainable, his expected stats indicate this isn’t a fluke. His xERA is 3.05 and his xFIP is 3.53.
Led by his splitter – which is already seven runs above average with a 30.4 put away percentage – Waldrep has dropped his four-seamer for a cutter and sinker, which with his splitter, makes up almost 70-percent of his usage.
In each of his appearances this month, he’s pitched at least 5.1 innings, allowing only a .200 batting average against. His 1.01 WHIP equals that of his ERA, with his Sunday night outing seeing a season high in walks (4) and strikeouts (9).
With four weeks remaining in the season, Waldrep may get another five starts, unless the organization opts to shut him down early. His performance in August as catapulted him from a maybe to hopefully, in that hopefully he can keep his performance up, because if so, he’ll be part of the team’s 2026 starting rotation.
