Four areas Braves must fix as halfway point of the season approaches

The Braves are experiencing a type of adversity they haven’t faced much all season. Arguably their two best players are on the IL in Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider just went down with what looks to be a season-ending injury, and they’ve lost four of their last five.

The holes on the current roster are beginning to show themselves more than they have all year. But what can be fixed internally, and what may need outside attention as the All-Star break and trade deadline approach?

Behind The Plate

The loss of both Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy has been brutal. Sandy Leon might be the worst everyday player in the major leagues right now, and the team already designated Chadwick Tromp for assignment to make way for Austin Wynns, who has recorded just one hit in six games since joining the club.

The Braves have essentially been playing a man down for about a month. The good news is that Baldwin should rejoin the club this week, having started a mini rehab assignment with the Gwinnett Stripers over the weekend. His return will ease a lot of the concerns — but it’s not something the organization can completely overlook.

Murphy is nowhere close to returning after suffering a fractured finger. Best case, he’s back sometime in August. Worst case, he may not play much more this season at all. If the last month has taught us anything, it’s that the Braves will be in serious trouble if Baldwin goes down again. Acquiring some insurance at the trade deadline — given Murphy’s extensive injury history — would be a wise move.

Third Base

I’ve long said that when the weather heats up, so does Austin Riley. So far, that hasn’t been the case. He’s continued to struggle at the plate and is barely hitting above the Mendoza Line, creating a significant hole in the middle of the Braves offense.

The frustration from the fan base is understandable. This is a player who was once a perennial MVP candidate, and over the last two seasons he hasn’t been much better than a replacement-level player.

Third base, however, is a different situation than everything else on this list. The Braves don’t have a choice but to ride it out and hope for improvement. Not only do they owe him a significant amount of money over the next six years, but this team is at its absolute best when Riley is at the peak of his powers. There is no better alternative.

Pitching

Perhaps the most glaring hole right now is in the rotation. Strider is going to be out for a while — if not the entire season — and some of the guys who started the year on fire are coming back down to earth, most notably Bryce Elder. Atlanta’s starting staff right now is Chris Sale and pray.

There are internal options that at least provide some rays of hope. JR Ritchie looked fantastic his last time out and is oozing with upside. Hurston Waldrep is probably a couple of starts away from rejoining the Braves and is touching 99 MPH during his rehab assignment. AJ Smith-Shawver should begin a rehab assignment in the near future as well. There’s still some hope Spencer Schwellenbach could return, and if the Braves wanted, they could begin stretching Didier Fuentes back out as a starter — a guy who has been virtually unhittable since moving to the bullpen.

Still, it goes without saying the Braves could use a frontline starter at the trade deadline. That’s been true since Max Fried signed with the Yankees in free agency, and Strider’s latest injury only reinforces that notion.

Outfield/DH

Jurickson Profar‘s suspension really hurt the Braves, even if it hasn’t fully shown up in the standings over the first three months. At the very least, Anthopoulos needs to find a power-hitting platoon option to pair with Mike Yastrzemski. And given that Dominic Smith has cooled off significantly since his scorching start, something bigger would be preferred.

The offense still has the potential to be a juggernaut come October. The returns of Baldwin and Acuña shouldn’t be too far away, and a resurgent second half from Riley paired with one meaningful addition at the deadline could make this the best lineup in baseball when it matters.

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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)