The Braves finally ended their losing skid yesterday afternoon with Grant Holmes delivering a brilliant outing, but the bigger takeaway was the lineup they rolled out. If Atlanta is aiming for the version of itself it wants to take into October, this is the group that should be on the field.
Walt Weiss has been shuffling pieces every day while trying to settle on the right mix, but the most obvious move is at catcher. Unless Sean Murphy isn’t healthy enough to handle it, he should be starting nearly every night.
Murphy gives Atlanta the best defensive work behind the plate, and he’s also better at handling the game than Drake Baldwin. On top of that, if he gets into a groove with the bat, he brings more offensive ceiling than the other options.
The Braves have already seen what he can do. Even in a down year last season, Murphy still put up 2.5 WAR in just 94 games, with 16 home runs and a .704 OPS.
In stronger seasons, he has topped an .803 OPS three times. Right now, only Matt Olson has an OPS above that mark on the Braves’ roster.
That’s why the handling of Murphy is so hard to understand. Atlanta should be using these last six weeks to see whether he can get his offense going again, not easing him out of the lineup without a clear reason.
The shortstop situation is part of the larger puzzle. The Braves have been starting Jim Jarvis against right-handed pitchers, but that feels like a stretch.
Jarvis does provide some defensive value, though maybe not more than Mauricio Dubon. The problem is everything he offers at the plate.
Over his last 21 games, Jarvis is hitting .125 with a .353 OPS, and he doesn’t bring the kind of power that can offset that production.
Using Dubon at shortstop would also free up the DH spot for Drake Baldwin, which would then allow Murphy to stay in the lineup as the catcher. That alignment makes more sense on paper and gives Atlanta its best overall setup.
If the Braves were holding Murphy back to make room for a young player with major upside, that would be one thing. But Jarvis isn’t that kind of player. He was barely ranked as a prospect and hasn’t shown anything that suggests a breakout is around the corner.
So the biggest question hanging over this lineup is simple: what exactly are the Braves waiting for with Murphy? If he’s available, he should be out there. He’s the player who can most directly change what this team looks like heading into the postseason.
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Braves Bullpen Squeeze Could End A Veteran Relievers Atlanta Run
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Kinleys departure leaves open a familiar question for a veteran reliever who spent time in Atlanta: whether the door is still open for a return, or whether another team will jump in first. A minor league deal with the Braves remains possible, but for now his next stop is unsettled, and the bullpen squeeze that pushed him out may not be the last roster decision tied to the rotation plan. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Are Paying For Offseason Mistakes In All The Wrong Spots
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Those choices have become even more noticeable because the bullpen has not been able to cushion the mistakes. Injuries have complicated the relief mix, and the underperformance from multiple arms has left the Braves without much room to hide when games start tilting the wrong way. For a team built to contend, the frustration is not just what went wrong in the offseason, but how those misses are showing up in the exact spots where Atlanta needed stability the most. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Finally Be Getting A Crucial Arm Back Soon
Reynaldo Lopez looks to be on the verge of taking a meaningful step back toward Atlantas rotation plans. The Braves right-hander is set to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A as he works his way back from a knee injury, a development that gives the club a little more clarity as it moves into a three-game set with the Brewers after a win over the White Sox.
Lopez has been one of the steadier arms for Atlanta when available this season, making 24 appearances with a 3.64 ERA and 66 strikeouts. The rehab stint wont answer every question about when hell be ready to rejoin the big league club, but it does at least put him on a more concrete path toward helping a staff that could use the reinforcement. [Read more 🡒]