Important Braves roster move, along with two exciting promotions

The second half of the season is bringing about some much more positive experiences. The Braves have won seven of their last ten games, stretching their lead in the NL East to 5.5 games over the Phillies, and now they’re getting their best player back.

The #Braves today returned OF Ronald Acuña Jr. from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list, and optioned OF Brewer Hicklen to Triple-A Gwinnett.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 27, 2026

A couple of new developments have really helped the offense turn back on since the All-Star break. For about six weeks, the Braves got absolutely nothing offensively behind the plate. Drake Baldwin missed a month with an oblique injury, and when he returned, it took some time for him to find his footing.

That’s changed in July. Baldwin has hit safely in all but five games this month, sporting a .341 average with six home runs and a 1.017 OPS.

We’ve also seen a second-half surge from Austin Riley. He has four multi-hit performances over his last ten games and has reached base in eight of them, to go along with three homers, a .308 batting average, and a .921 OPS. This comes after a dreadful first half in which he struggled to hit over the Mendoza Line and sported a .618 OPS.

Those are massive developments, but nothing compares to the addition of a healthy Ronald Acuña Jr. He’s still the best player on the team. His mere presence makes things infinitely more difficult for opposing pitchers — and easier for his teammates hitting around him. Acuña’s return also gives Walt Weiss more flexibility with his lineup card, allowing Mauricio Dubon to fill in at shortstop or in the outfield as needed rather than using him strictly as an everyday outfielder.

But the excitement doesn’t stop at the major-league level. It was reported yesterday that Tate Southisene is headed to Double-A Columbus. It’s the second promotion for the 19-year-old first-round selection from a year ago, as he continues to make a case for the title of the organization’s #1 prospect.

That move opened up a spot for Alex Lodise — the Braves’ second-round selection from the 2025 draft — in High-A Rome, where he’ll look to keep tearing the cover off the baseball. Following a slow start, the former Florida State Seminole now has 21 home runs with an .826 OPS on the season.

As I tweeted yesterday, it is expected that Alex Lodise is promoted to High-A Rome this week.

— Gaurav (@gvedak) July 27, 2026

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(Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire)