The biggest shift in the Braves’ July prospect refresh is at the top, where Eric Hartman has taken firm control of the system. After his April breakout, the outfielder kept it rolling through the next two months, and his power-speed blend now stands out across the minors.
As of late June, he was the only player in the minor leagues with more than 15 home runs and 25 steals. The one thing left on the checklist is sharpening his approach.
Another bat on the rise is Conor Essenburg, who lost more than a month to an oblique strain before coming back and impressing. The outfielder has brought real pop with him, backed by some of the best exit velocity numbers in the system, and he’s pairing that strength with solid swing decisions.
Atlanta also got a graduation in Didier Fuentes, whose work in the bullpen has pushed him into leverage spots. Fuentes still carries some long-term starting upside, but the way he has pitched this season could make the Braves lean into his relief role.
The fallers list includes two outfielders and a middle infielder whose summers have stalled. Diego Tornes missed the start of the Florida Complex League season with bruised ribs, then struggled to find his footing after returning. He still flashes the loud tools that made him such an intriguing name entering the year, but he hasn’t been able to turn that raw ability into steady game production.
Dixon Williams, meanwhile, has gone from a hot April to a rougher stretch. His offense cooled in May and has been especially quiet in June, and with limited defensive value, the pressure sits squarely on the bat. Right now, that bat hasn’t been making enough contact, with Williams striking out about 28.6% of the time.
Two arms have joined the Braves’ list in this update. Drue Hackenberg, a second-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2024, earned his way back onto the board after an oblique injury delayed his 2026 season.
Before that setback, his stuff and control had regressed in 2025, but since returning he has looked more like the pitcher who broke out in 2024. The 6-foot-2 righty works from a three-quarters slot with a six-pitch mix, leaning on a cutter that can both generate weak contact and miss bats.
He also shows four-seam and two-seam fastballs in the 92-94 mph range, along with a slider, curveball and changeup. The Braves see him as either a depth starter or a multi-inning reliever, with the rotation path depending on whether the fastball quality and strike throwing keep trending up.
Carter Holton, another 2024 second-rounder, is back after a much longer layoff. The Vanderbilt lefty blew out after one pro start and had Tommy John surgery, missing all of 2025 before returning to game action in mid May after almost 21 months away.
Holton is undersized and works with a deceptive, effortful delivery that includes a short stab behind and a crossfire landing. His fastball sits 91-94 mph and reaches 95, and his best pitch is a mid-80s slider with short vertical break and bat-missing ability.
He’s being developed as a starter, but his size and delivery point more toward relief, with the main focus this year on staying healthy and building back innings.
The last new name is Patrick Clohisy, an 11th-round pick in 2024 who signed for $150,000 out of Saint Louis. The 5-foot-10 left-handed hitter spent 2025 moving between High-A Rome and Double-A Columbus, handled all three outfield spots and posted a slightly above-average wRC+ at both stops.
He later carried that into the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .284/.389/.383 with 22 stolen bases. Clohisy brings contact skills, speed and center field defense, though the power is modest and not expected to grow much.
He makes a lot of contact in the zone when he’s right, can drive the ball to both gaps, and has drawn praise for his bat-to-ball ability. The holes show up at the top of the zone, especially against high-end velocity and quality secondary pitches.
For now, he looks like outfield depth, with his ceiling tied to whether the hit tool takes another step.
In Other News...
Another Braves Loss Sums Up Everything Miserable About June
June keeps finding new ways to wear out the Braves, and this one fit the months mood neatly. A 5-3 loss to the Cardinals was built on the same mix that has haunted Atlanta too often lately: a pitching staff that could not quite stop the bleeding when it mattered, and an offense that spent enough time in scoring position to make the result feel even more frustrating.
Martin Perez absorbed the biggest blow, with the Cardinals stringing together the kind of swing that can flip a night in a hurry. Atlanta had chances to answer, including a bases-loaded spot in the eighth, but managed only a single run there and never fully dug out of the hole. Even St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore, who struck out nine in five innings, had plenty of traffic to manage with walks and a hit batter, leaving the Braves to wonder how a game with that many openings still ended the same old way. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Season Feels Stuck Waiting On Ronald Acua Jr
The Braves keep finding new ways to look stuck in neutral, and the latest skid has only sharpened the frustration. They have dropped three straight and seven of their last eight, with the offense and pitching both slipping at the same time, a rough combination for a team that entered the stretch still trying to steady itself.
Ronald Acua Jr.s absence hangs over everything, because Atlanta has not looked like the same group without one of its most dynamic players available. There has been at least some movement on his side as he works back from a hamstring strain, but the bigger picture for the Braves is unchanged: they need more stability from the lineup and rotation, and the encouraging surprise from Martin Perez is not the kind of lift they can count on all summer. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Finally Got One Encouraging Step From AJ Smith Shawver
AJ Smith-Shawver took a useful first step in his rehab journey Saturday, working three innings for Single-A Augusta in his first Minor League appearance since surgery. He allowed one run on three hits, struck out four and did not issue a walk, a sharp enough line to give the Braves something positive to point to as he continues the process of getting back on the mound.
The outing still fits into the larger picture of patience, because this was about building back arm strength and rhythm rather than rushing toward a return. Atlanta can use every encouraging checkpoint it gets from a pitcher who was part of its future plans, especially with the rotation already thinned by elbow issues and the club watching every healthy arm closely. [Read more 🡒]