Thursday night’s outing was quietly one of the most important starts of Hurston Waldrep’s professional season. Over six innings, the Braves’ No. 2 prospect held Indianapolis to one earned run and struck out six while showing the most consistent feel for his arsenal in over a month.

Put in context, this was a big step forward.

Coming in, Waldrep had been navigating an uneven stretch. Over his previous six starts dating back to early June, he’d posted a 7.39 ERA, walking 20 batters in 28 innings. Command lapses, especially with the fastball, often forced him into hitter’s counts and elevated his pitch counts. Even in starts where the stuff looked electric, he couldn’t always finish innings cleanly.

Thursday, he flipped that script. He threw 84 pitches (60 strikes) and limited damage after an early two-run frame. Most importantly, he showed the ability to lean on his secondaries, particularly the slider and splitter, to both steal strikes and generate chases:

• Slider: 46% usage, 41% whiff rate
• Splitter: 19% usage, 42% whiff rate
• Fastball: Only 25% usage, topping at 98 mph, but used mostly to change eye levels.

While it’s notable that hitters didn’t swing often at the fastball–just 4 swings on 21 heaters–he still landed it for strikes consistently (57% zone rate) and used it effectively to set up his secondaries. That sequencing, combined with the willingness to trust his slider in fastball counts, helped him limit walks and avoid the big inning that has often haunted him.

This is significant for two reasons.

First, it shows progress in his approach and composure. Rather than forcing fastballs when behind, he trusted his slider and splitter to get back in the count. That maturity is exactly what the Braves player development staff has been pushing him to show.

Second, the timing couldn’t be better. With Atlanta’s rotation hit by injuries and inconsistency, Waldrep is putting himself in position for a big-league look later this summer. His ERA now sits at 4.97, and when you remove his disastrous June 8 start, it drops to 4.31, a more accurate reflection of how competitive he’s been most nights.

The takeaway?

This outing showed exactly how effective Waldrep can be when he’s sequencing well and staying in the zone with all of his pitches. While his fastball remains more of a setup offering than a true out pitch, he commanded it for called strikes and trusted his secondaries to do the damage. If he continues to attack the zone and mix his arsenal this effectively, he’s on track to force his way into Atlanta’s plans later this season.