Former NY Mets coach already had a nasty curveball thrown his way

Heading into the 2024 season, Jeremy Hefner needed to be a magician. He did just that, taking retreads like Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, both of whom had seen better days, and making them appear to be top-of-the-rotation starters. When the New York Mets tried a similar gambit in 2025, Hefner became a scapegoat as the magic evaporated.

After Hefner was given the pink slip, the Atlanta Braves made sure to poke at the rival Mets by bringing in Hefner (and Antoan Richardson) as part of their own coaching staff overhaul following a disappointing 2025 campaign.

With the Braves, the Hefner figured to have his best group of starters to work with in years. However, as the spring unfolded, Atlanta's arms began dropping like flies.

Former Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner faces his biggest challenge yet as a wave of injuries consumes the Braves' pitching staff

The Braves have lost key starters, including Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, and Hurston Waldrep, in addition to several other arms who could have contributed in either the rotation or the bullpen.

The Spencer-less rotation now features Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, and Jose Suarez. Sale was the 2024 NL Cy Young winner, is one of the best pitchers of his generation, and was very good when healthy in 2025. He's also 37 years old, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, and hadn't put together anything close to a full season from the time he underwent the surgery until his brilliant 2024 campaign. Simply put, it's tough to bet on him for 30 starts.

Lopez began his career as a starter, moved to the bullpen, and then returned to the starting rotation in 2024. He pitched well, but could only muster 135.2 innings before missing all but one game of the 2025 season thanks to right shoulder surgery. Again, there's talent, but the health is a question mark.

From here on out, things get really hairy. Grant Holmes will serve as the No. 3 starter to begin the year, and it took the 2014 first-round pick 11 years to make his big league debut. He ended up making 21 starts for Atlanta last year as they were once again walloped by injuries, and while he put up a decent 3.99 ERA, he walked a few too many batters while getting homer-happy at times, leading to a much less encouraging 4.54 xERA.

Bryce Elder began his career with some promise, but over the past two seasons, he has made 38 starts, thrown 208 innings, and posted a 5.59 ERA. He'll man the fourth spot for the foreseeable future, and doesn't inspire much confidence.

The man occupying the No. 5 spot is a complete Hail Mary. After spending the first six years of his career with the Los Angeles Angels, Jose Suarez was traded to the Braves ahead of the 2025 campaign. He'd throw just 19.1 innings in the bigs, with six of his seven appearances coming in relief. This winter, he was waived by Atlanta, claimed by Baltimore, waived by Baltimore, and finally claimed by Atlanta, all in the span of a week. Suarez has never proven to be a quality pitcher, and his 5.30 ERA over 396 career innings tells you all you need to know.

The difference between what Hefner did in 2024 with the Mets and what he'll have to do in 2026 with the Braves is this. With New York, he revamped pitchers who had previously had success, while this go around in Atlanta, he'll be dealing with three guys who are borderline major leaguers being key cogs in his starting rotation, while also dealing with some real injury concerns with the guys at the top.

If he pulls it off, he'll regain his status as a pitching guru, but if the Braves struggle, it will be hard to pin the blame on him, not that it will matter much anyway.