Are the Braves making a change to the rotation?

On Wednesday morning, the Braves made a couple of roster moves, adding JR Ritchie and reliever James Karinchak to the roster.

The #Braves today selected RHP James Karinchak to the major league roster and designated RHP Carlos Carrasco for assignment. The club also recalled RHP JR Ritchie to Atlanta and placed RHP Tyler Kinley on the 15-day injured list, backdated to June 8, with right elbow…

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 10, 2026

Karinchak replaces Kinley, and it’s an opportunity for him to earn a permanent role in the bullpen. The stuff is electric — 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings for Gwinnett this season — and he has a solid track record at the major-league level before injuries derailed his career.

The other transaction is potentially a bit more complicated. JR Ritchie replaces Carrasco, who was designated for assignment. There’s a chance this is simply the Braves adding a fresh arm in case of emergency, but that’s not typically how you handle one of your top prospects.

It would be surprising if Ritchie didn’t make at least one start before heading back to Gwinnett — and like Karinchak, he has an opportunity to make this move permanent.

By now, everyone is familiar with the enigma that is Grant Holmes. The first time through the order he’s one of the better pitchers in baseball. The second time? He’s no better than a position player.

Grant Holmes Splits

1st time through the order: .181 batting average allowed, .526 OPS

2nd time through the order: .317 batting average allowed, 1.055 OPS

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Over a larger sample size those numbers would likely converge somewhat, but not enough to ignore the obvious. Holmes is best suited for a relief role, a place where he’s had plenty of success throughout his career.

That move is coming eventually. Hurston Waldrep is working his way through his rehab assignment and should rejoin the club within a month. AJ Smith-Shawver is right behind him, and Spencer Schwellenbach could enter the conversation later in the season.

But before any of that happens, this could be Ritchie’s best opportunity to prove he belongs in Atlanta for good. There were some control issues and trouble putting hitters away earlier in the season, but this is a talented young pitcher — and with talented young pitchers, you never quite know when everything is going to click.

The Braves would love to see that happen this time around. If it does, moving Holmes to the bullpen becomes an easy decision — and this pitching staff gets even deeper in the process.

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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)