The Braves’ rotation took another hit Sunday, and this one landed hard. Martin Perez, who had been giving Atlanta useful innings after a surprising spring, was struck by a line drive off the bat of Juan Soto and is headed to the IL.
The club does not believe the forearm is fractured, but further imaging is still needed. That leaves Atlanta waiting on the next update while another arm disappears from a staff already trying to find its footing.
Perez’s path to this point has been one of the stranger stories of Atlanta’s season. He signed a minor-league deal in the offseason and initially looked like a long shot to crack the roster at all. Then injuries opened a door in Spring Training, and Perez stepped through it, putting together a 2.78 ERA across his first 15 outings.
The last three starts have painted a different picture. At this stage of his career, Perez looks more like a pitcher who can fill a spot and cover innings than someone you want leaning on as a second or third starter. That’s been the challenge in Atlanta for much of the year, and now it’s become even more complicated.
The Braves are still searching for answers behind Chris Sale, and the options have been uneven. Hurston Waldrep and Reynaldo Lopez gave the staff a short burst of optimism this past week, but it’s unclear how much of that will hold up.
AJ Smith-Shawver also turned in a strong rehab outing on the farm last night, touching triple digits over four scoreless innings, and he could eventually help. But for now, Atlanta is still stuck in the same spot: not really knowing what it has in any of these arms, and feeling the strain of that uncertainty throughout the rotation.
In Other News...
Braves Quietly Got Back A Bullpen Arm They May Desperately Need
For most of the season, Atlantas bullpen has looked like one of the clubs quiet advantages, but the last stretch has brought a little more unease. Raisel Iglesias has blown a save, Dylan Lee has had shaky outings and Didier Fuentes is nearing the break, which has made the relief picture feel less settled than it did a few weeks ago.
Into that mix comes Danny Young, the left-hander the Braves have quietly gotten back after his injury layoff. His early work this season has been encouraging enough to give Atlanta another option for mid-to-high-leverage spots against left-handed hitters, and perhaps a way to ease the load on some of the other arms that have been asked to carry more lately. The bigger question is how quickly the Braves lean into that role, and whether Young can turn a useful return into something more than just a temporary fix. [Read more 🡒]
Walt Weiss Decisions Just Cost The Braves A Game They Had Won
The Braves had enough offense to put themselves in position to win, but the game slipped into the kind of extra-inning mess that usually leaves a manager under the microscope. Atlanta scored six runs and still could not finish off the Mets, with the lineups missed chances and a thin bench leaving the club in a difficult spot once the game stretched beyond regulation.
Walt Weiss choices only made the margin for error smaller. The Braves were already navigating a less-than-ideal setup in extras, and the way the bullpen and lineup were handled became a major part of why a game that looked won turned into a loss, even before the final inning had fully played out. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Cant Afford Another Quiet Deadline From Alex Anthopoulos
With the trade deadline approaching, the Braves look like a club that cannot simply sit back and hope the rotation and outfield sort themselves out. ESPNs latest best-fit rundown had Atlanta attached to 17 of the top 25 deadline candidates, which is a pretty clear sign that the market sees a team with real needs and a front office that should be active. Starting pitching remains the obvious priority, and the list of names floating around ranges from Tarik Skubal and Joe Ryan to Sonny Gray, Reid Detmers, Casey Mize, Jose Soriano and Freddy Peralta.
The outfield search is a little murkier, with Taylor Ward looking like the most realistic target if Atlanta wants to add a bat without emptying the system. Shortstop is another area worth watching, but the price tag on the top names would be steep enough to make any deal complicated fast. For Alex Anthopoulos, the pressure is less about making a splash than avoiding another deadline that leaves the roster looking almost exactly the same when the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]