Atlanta Braves make decision about Hurston Waldrep's future after two MLB starts

Former Florida standout Hurston Waldrep became the 85th former Gators standout to reach the big leagues a couple weeks ago, but his stay in Major League Baseball was short-lived.

Waldrep has been sent back down to Triple-A by Atlanta, according to a report from Braves beat writer for MLB.com Mark Bowman.

The call-up didn’t go particularly well for Hurston Waldrep, who was hit quite hard during his two starts in the big leagues.

Waldrep gave up 13 earned runs in just 7.0 total innings of work, allowing nine hits in the process. He struck out just three batters while walking eight, with command a major issue.

Adding insult to injury, Waldrep gave up a grand slam in his final bit of action against Tampa Bay, with Ben Rortvedt taking him yard and ultimately chasing Waldrep from his second start… and subsequently the majors.

Hurston Waldrep was called up fairly quickly after coming out of Florida following the 2023 season.

He played for four different minor league teams, with his most extensive action coming in Double-A ball. In Double-A he went 3-4 with a 2.92 ERA, starting nine games. He pitched 49.1 innings and gave up 16 earned runs on 52 hits, but he struck out 48 and walked just 17.

That earned him a short stint in Triple-A before he was called up by the Atlanta Braves.

At Florida, Waldrep was one of several stars on the mound. He is the program’s all-time record holder in strikes per nine innings, at 13.81. He was the 24th overall draft pick by the Atlanta Braves.

Waldrep was a second-team All-American as a junior in 2023 as Florida reached the College World Series championship series.

As a junior, Hurston Waldrep went 10-3 with a 4.16 ERA, making 19 weekend starts. Opposing hitters had just a .228 batting average against him.