Ha-Seong Kim got off to the kind of start the Braves were hoping to see, while Ronald Acuña Jr. took another step in his rehab work Monday in the Florida Complex League.
The two injured Braves are in very different spots, and the mood around each couldn’t be more different. Acuña remains the player Atlanta can least afford to lose, and since he went down on June 9, the Braves have dropped 19 of 29 games.
He’s badly needed back in the lineup, but the team is not about to rush him. With the same hamstring injury now having struck twice, Atlanta has to protect the bigger picture and make sure he’s ready for the stretch run.
Kim’s situation is far less secure. After signing a one-year deal in the offseason, he has hit just .068 in 73 at-bats this season and has not recorded an extra-base hit.
For Braves fans, the patience has already worn thin, and this rehab assignment looks like his final shot to show he belongs on the roster. Jim Jarvis has looked pretty damn good in a small sample size, which only adds to the pressure on Kim to make a case for himself.
Monday gave him a reason to breathe a little easier. Kim homered and added a single in three at-bats, a much-needed encouraging start as he tries to fight his way back into the picture.
Andrew McCutchen was also in the game. The veteran, who signed a minor-league contract with the Braves, went 0-for-2 with a walk.
In Other News...
Byron Buxton Just Took A Painful Shot At A Familiar Braves Dream
Byron Buxtons pre-All-Star Game comments landed with a little more force than the usual summer talk show chatter, especially for anyone in Atlanta who has long treated the Georgia native as a natural fit for the Braves. Buxton made clear he does not see the city that way, and he framed his connection to home in a much different part of the state, one that puts him closer to other Southern cities than to Atlanta.
The Twins star also underscored how much Minnesota means to him after years of injuries and uncertainty, saying his loyalty runs deep because the organization has stayed with him through it all. For Braves fans who have spent years dreaming on a future reunion, the message was hard to miss: whatever the appeal of a hometown ending might be, Buxtons heart appears to be elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Found An In-House Answer To A Frustrating Need
Mike Yastrzemskis move to the injured list with elbow inflammation opened an immediate hole for Atlanta, and the Braves turned to Brewer Hicklen to help cover it. Hicklen was called up and wasted little time making himself noticeable, delivering an RBI double in his first game and giving the club at least a short-term jolt while Yastrzemski is sidelined for a minimum of 10 days.
The larger question is whether Hicklen can turn that quick start into something more lasting. His minor league track record has been strong, but his major league rsum is still thin, so the Braves have to weigh whether he can stick as a useful right-handed bench piece as injured regulars work back. If he keeps producing, Atlanta may have found a more practical in-house fix than it expected, and that could influence how aggressively the front office looks at adding help later on. [Read more 🡒]