Hurston Waldrep got a taste of the majors last year. It didn't go down well.
On June 9, 2024, Waldrep made his MLB debut for the Atlanta Braves in Washington, D.C. That afternoon, the Nationals tagged him for seven earned runs on four hits and four walks in only 3.2 innings.
Waldrep got another shot a week later against the Rays. Things did not go much better, as it was made clear that the Cairo, GA native just wasn't quite ready for the show. He was initially placed on the IL with "elbow inflammation" after that second start for the Braves, but he was quickly optioned back in the minors as well.
It has taken Waldrep around a full calendar year of enduring rehabs, performance struggles, and mechanical tweaks to re-solidify himself at Triple-A Gwinnett, but it appears that the 23-year-old righty is just about ready for another crack at the bigs.
Tip your cap, Hurt!
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) July 19, 2025
5.0 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 3 BB | 5 SO pic.twitter.com/uief1rXk2g
Braves Prospect Hurston Waldrep Continues His Emergence at Triple-A
Waldrep delivered a solid performance in his start for the Stripers on Friday night, extending a streak of encouraging work that goes back to the middle of last month.
Over his last six starts, Waldrep has turned in a nice 2.41 ERA and 1.19 WHIP to go with a 28-15 K/BB ratio across 33.2 innings. He still needs to rein in the walks a bit, but everything else is going quite well.
Waldrep has limited the opposition to a .200 AVG during this impressive stretch. On the year, the first-round pick from 2023 has surrendered just eight homers over 84.2 innings (0.85 HR/9) while generating a 55.6% groundball rate.
With the current state of the Braves' pitching staff, the time for Waldrep to return to Atlanta could be fast approaching. He's currently ranked as the organization's No. 2 prospect (MLB.com), and the team needs to see what it has in its top young arms.