With only nine games left on the 2026 regular season schedule, the Braves are already in the part of the year where every move is about timing. Atlanta heads to Houston for three games against the Astros, comes back home for the Reds, and then closes out in Miami against the Marlins. With the club looking like a near lock for the playoffs and likely division winners, the focus now is simple: stay healthy and keep everyone as fresh as possible for October.
That approach showed up again with Chris Sale. The Braves have managed his workload carefully all season because of his age and injury history, and that plan is still holding.
Manager Walt Weiss said Sale’s next start has been pushed back, and he’ll now pitch against the Reds next Wednesday. That gives him extra rest between outings and also sets him up to start the Wild Card series on extra rest.
Sale’s season has been strong enough that the extra care has paid off. Atlanta has gotten one of the best years of his career, and he’s in position to finish as at least a Cy Young finalist.
The Braves also got some off-field recognition for Austin Riley. He has been named Atlanta’s 2026 Roberto Clemente Award nominee, an honor that goes to one player on each team for philanthropy and community work. Riley’s focus has included veterans of the military, with his involvement in Operation Home Team, which recognizes veterans at Truist Park every Wednesday home game, and his annual charity golf tournament that benefits The Warrior Alliance.
There’s also some postseason buzz building around Didier Fuentes. He may not be a household name outside Atlanta, but that could change if he keeps dealing out of the bullpen. MLB’s Mike Petriello included Fuentes on a list of eight relievers who could break through in the playoffs, pointing to Fuentes’ dominant run and the way his pitching metrics improved in the second half even though he is still the youngest pitcher on any MLB roster.
In Other News...
Braves Have A Fast-Rising Prospect Fans Need To Start Watching
Canadian baseball has produced plenty of big-league names over the years, from Hall of Famers like Fergie Jenkins and Larry Walker to current stars such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the next wave is starting to take shape. In the latest look at the best prospects from north of the border, the attention lands on Eric Hartman, whose breakout 2026 minor league season has pushed him to the top of the list and given evaluators a new name to track closely.
For Braves fans, Hartman is the kind of prospect worth filing away now rather than later. The ranking puts him ahead of a broader group of top 10 Canadian hopefuls spread across the majors farm systems, and that kind of placement usually signals both performance and projection are starting to line up. The only question now is how quickly the rest of the industry starts treating him like more than a fast-rising name on a prospect list. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Riley Is Representing The Braves For Something Bigger Than Baseball
Austin Riley is being recognized for more than what he does at third base. The Braves named him their 2026 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, an honor that goes to players whose impact reaches well beyond the field and into the community. Riley has built a steady reputation for that kind of work in Atlanta, especially through Operation Home Team, the clubs program that honors military veterans during home games.
Riley and his wife have also been active in supporting military families and veterans through a range of initiatives, including a Military Appreciation lunch and a charity golf tournament that benefited veterans. For a Braves team that has watched Riley grow into a central figure on the roster, the nomination is another reminder that his presence in the organization extends far past game night. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Bullpen Just Got A Joe Jimnez Twist Fans Did Not Expect
Joe Jimnezs path back to a major league mound has taken another step, and it is the kind the Braves have been waiting on for a long time. After dealing with cartilage damage and then going through three knee surgeries, the reliever has not pitched in nearly two years, leaving his status one of the more difficult injury stories on the roster to track.
Now, Atlanta has sent him out on a rehab assignment with the Stripers, which at least puts a return back into the conversation. Given how complicated the recovery has been and how unusual his timeline looks compared with other pitchers who have dealt with similar knee issues, any late-2026 comeback would be the kind of development that still feels very much in progress. [Read more 🡒]