The Braves are already making moves to steady a rotation that has become one of their biggest problems, and the next swing could be a massive one.
Atlanta’s lead in the NL East has shrunk from 10 games to three, and the club has responded by pushing one of its top pitching prospects to the majors well ahead of schedule. Before Monday’s series finale against the Mets, the Braves called up right-hander Owen Murphy for the first time.
Murphy was Atlanta’s first-round pick, 20th overall, in the 2022 MLB Draft. He posted a 3.88 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A Gwinnett this season over 60 1/3 innings, and also logged a 6.10 ERA across 20 2/3 innings in five starts with Double-A Columbus.
MLB Pipeline ranked him as the Braves’ No. 6 prospect this season and gave him a 2028 expected arrival.
That promotion may only be the first step. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has already made it clear the Braves expect to be active when July rolls around.
“I fully expect and hope that we will be engaged in trades come July. I'm not trying to overly excite anybody or promise anything. But if we're playing the way we are right now, we're going to be in there,” Anthopoulos said.
One name that keeps surfacing is Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. Sports Illustrated’s Mark Morales-Smith called Atlanta the strongest fit for a deal and pointed to the Braves as the team most heavily linked to Skubal. He wrote that Atlanta’s recent slide has been tied in large part to its injured pitching staff, and that a deal for Skubal would arm the Braves to chase the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League while also giving Skubal a chance to pitch in the World Series.
Skubal would give Atlanta exactly the kind of front-line jolt it needs. The two-time Cy Young winner has been dominant since returning from injury, and if the Braves decide they want another ace before the deadline, he stands out as the most impactful option on the board. He could also be a rental for Atlanta, which would make the cost steep, but potentially worth it if the payoff is another championship run.
A postseason rotation with Skubal and Chris Sale at the top would give the Braves one of the most dangerous one-two punches in baseball.
In Other News...
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The same kind of human backdrop was part of the day when rookie catcher Eliezer Alfonzo reached the majors, a moment that carried far more weight than a standard debut. Alfonzo has been dealing with the recent loss of family members in the Venezuela earthquakes, and the timing of his first big-league appearance made the occasion especially emotional. He spoke about wishing his stepmother could have been there to see him make it, a reminder that sometimes a debut is about much more than the game itself. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers May Be Giving This Catcher A Bigger Chance Than Expected
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Manager Dave Roberts made it clear the club wants a closer look at Alfonzo while Smith remains sidelined, and that could mean semi-regular playing time in the coming stretch. For a team trying to manage an injury-hit roster without losing stability at catcher, the next few games may tell the Dodgers whether Alfonzo is simply filling space or beginning to carve out a more lasting place on the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Have A Bigger Concern With Roki Sasaki
Roki Sasakis latest outing only deepened the questions around the Dodgers young right-hander, who was tagged by the San Diego Padres for six runs on seven hits over three innings, with three of those hits leaving the yard. It was the kind of start that can rattle a rotation spot and, for a pitcher still trying to settle in, it put the focus less on the result and more on what was happening before the ball even left his hand.
Dave Roberts and Dalton Rushing both pointed to the possibility that Sasaki was giving away something in his delivery, a concern that can turn a bad night into a bigger diagnostic problem. Sasaki acknowledged he has work to do and said he needs to identify what went wrong before his next turn, which only adds to the intrigue as the Dodgers try to get him back on track. [Read more 🡒]