With first pitch at Truist Park coming up fast, the Braves are rolling out a slightly different look for the third game against the Cardinals. Hurston Waldrep is making his first start of the season, and Jim Jarvis is in the lineup at shortstop.
Before the game, Walt Weiss spent plenty of time on those two names, and he also gave a quick update on Sean Murphy’s progress and the club’s relief depth.
Waldrep’s workload is expected to stay in a manageable range. Weiss said he’s anticipating something in the neighborhood of 70 to around 80 pitches, and he framed that expectation as “hopefully similar to what we got last night from [Reynaldo López].”
López needed 69 pitches to get through five innings, with St. Louis’ only run coming in the first.
Weiss said he’s “looking forward to it. [Waldrep] was dominant at times last year…it’s good to have him back in the mix here.
Jarvis, meanwhile, earned a strong endorsement from Weiss, who called him “A baseball-y player, to use a common term,” Weiss said. “He’s got a good bat. He’s a little different from all the other players in the lineup to where he wants to go deep into counts and draw walks.”
Weiss also pointed to the left-handed bat Jarvis brings against Cardinals starter Dustin May, along with the rest of his profile. “He can hit too,” continued Weiss.
He’s having a nice year at Triple-A. He defends well and he’s got a good arm.
He runs pretty well. It’s nice having another left-handed bat against a tough righty like [Cardinals starter] Dustin May.
It’s nice to have that option as a left-handed option. The shortstop thing will be day-to-day but he’s nice to have.”
Asked whether Jarvis could end up in more of a platoon arrangement, Weiss didn’t lock himself into anything. He said he’d check the numbers and go from there, but noted that Jarvis can handle other infield spots and give other players a breather against right-handers. That, Weiss said, adds “a bit more flexibility.”
The bullpen question brought a straightforward answer. On the Braves’ multi-inning relief choices, Weiss said, “I think we’re covered,” adding that “[Ian] Hamitlon and [James] Karinchak have both gone multiple innings in Triple-A, so they’re capable of doing that. I think we’re covered, yeah.”
As for Murphy, the timeline remains murky. It has been around eight weeks with the catcher sidelined, and when asked about a possible rehab assignment, Weiss made it clear that nothing is imminent.
“I’m not exactly sure when he’s going out on rehab,” said Weiss. “I don’t want to speculate.
He’s starting to progress and do some baseball things but I’m not sure exactly when that rehab clock will start.”
In Other News...
Braves June Collapse Turned Historically Embarrassing For One Lineup Regular
June was ugly enough for the Braves that the month now reads like a franchise warning label. The offense finished with the fewest runs scored in MLB, and the lineup spent most of the stretch searching for any kind of rhythm as the clubs once-comfortable lead in the standings quickly tightened over a 17-game slide.
Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubn were the only Braves hitters who managed to stay above league average by wRC+, which says plenty about how thin the margin was everywhere else. For a team built to punish pitching, June instead left several regulars attached to some of the least productive monthly offensive marks in franchise history, a jarring reminder of how fast a season can change when the bats go quiet. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Cannot Afford To Miss On This Rare Draft Opportunity
The Braves are heading into a 2026 draft setup they do not get very often, with a first-round pick in hand, an extra first-rounder tied to Drake Baldwins Rookie of the Year award, and the kind of bonus-pool flexibility that can shape the entire class. That gives Atlanta real room to choose a direction, whether it is a polished college bat, a high-upside arm, or a safer board-value play, and the early discussion has already centered on names like Georgia Tech standout Drew Burress, catcher Ryder Helfrick and pitcher Hunter Dietz.
Burress would make plenty of sense if he is still there at No. 9, while Helfrick fits the sort of best-player-available approach teams lean on when the board breaks right. Dietz offers the kind of under-slot pitching profile clubs can use to keep the class balanced, and prep lefty Gio Rojas has also surfaced in mock chatter, though the volatility that comes with high school arms is part of the equation. For now, the Braves have options, not answers, and the shape of this draft could depend on which path they decide is worth the swing. [Read more 🡒]