| News |
|---|
|
Dominic Smith Dominic Smith Losing out on playing time
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 3:09 PM
Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.
Analysis: Smith will retreat to the bench for the third game in a row, with his latter two absences coming while the Padres have sent right-handed starting pitchers to the hill. The 31-year-old has held down a strong-side platoon role for much of the season, but he's been squeezed out of the starting nine in the wake of Mike Yastrzemski's return from the injured list. The downturn in playing time comes while Smith has provided a poor .468 OPS over 13 games since the start of July. |
|
JR Ritchie JR Ritchie Sent back to Triple-A
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:48 AM
Atlanta optioned Ritchie to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.
Analysis: Ritchie will give up his spot on the active roster to left-hander Martin Perez (elbow), who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the Padres. After tossing 3.2 innings in long relief during Tuesday's 8-3 loss, Ritchie was unlikely to be available out of the Atlanta bullpen for at least the next couple of days. |
|
Martin Perez Martin Perez Activated ahead of start
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:45 AM
Atlanta reinstated Perez (forearm) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his start Wednesday against the Padres at Truist Park.
Analysis: Perez spent just one day over the minimum amount of time on the shelf while he recovered from a left forearm contusion, which he sustained when he was struck by a line drive in a July 5 start versus the Mets. The veteran southpaw was able to bypass a rehab assignment prior to being activated, but Atlanta could still be conservative with his workload as he makes his 15th start of the campaign. With a 3.54 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 81.1 innings, Perez has been a more essential piece of the rotation than Atlanta anticipated heading into the season. |
|
Jim Jarvis Jim Jarvis On base three times Tuesday
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 9:56 AM
Jarvis went 2-for-3 with a walk, a triple, a run scored and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Padres.
Analysis: The rookie is proving to be quite a find for Atlanta in the 11th round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft. Jarvis has started six straight games at shortstop, going 6-for-21 (.286) during that span with two doubles, a triple, three RBI and five runs. The impending return of Ronald Acuna (hamstring) could shuffle around the lineup, but Jarvis may be playing well enough to hang onto his job, with Mauricio Dubon instead continuing to see most of his action in left field while Mike Yastrzemski displaces the struggling Dominic Smith as the primary DH against right-handed pitching. |
|
Reynaldo Lopez Reynaldo Lopez Allows two homers in loss
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 10:36 PM
Lopez (4-3) took the loss against the Padres on Tuesday, allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 4.1 innings.
Analysis: Lopez allowed runs in three separate innings, including solo homers in the fourth and fifth. The 32-year-old allowed one earned run in each of his first three starts upon returning to the rotation June 26 but has now surrendered nine earned runs over two straight losses. He'll take a 3.95 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 60:28 K:BB across 66 innings this season into a road matchup with the Orioles this weekend. |
|
Martin Perez Martin Perez Starting Wednesday
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 9:49 PM
Perez (forearm) will start Wednesday's game against the Padres, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Manager Walt Weiss said Saturday that Perez was set to make his return from the injured list during Atlanta's series against San Diego, and the 35-year-old southpaw is now officially set to make his second-half debut Wednesday after landing on the injured list July 6 with a bruised forearm. He will be returning to the rotation without having made a rehab appearance in the minors, so there's a chance the team limits his workload as he makes his first start back from the IL. |
|
Dominic Smith Dominic Smith Not in Tuesday's lineup
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 3:05 PM
Smith is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.
Analysis: The veteran unsurprisingly remained on the bench Monday with lefty JP Sears taking the mound for San Diego, but Smith's absence Tuesday is coming against righty Walker Buehler. Mike Yastrzemski (elbow) is serving as the designated hitter in his return from the injured list. |
|
Mike Yastrzemski Mike Yastrzemski Activated from injured list
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 1:39 PM
Atlanta activated Yastrzemski (elbow) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
Analysis: Yastrzemski required just a minimum 10-day absence as he dealt with left elbow inflammation. He skipped a rehab assignment and will receive regular reps in the outfield for Atlanta against right-handed pitching. |
|
Back on shelf
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 11:06 AM
High-A Rome placed Sinnard on the 7-day injured list June 16 after he aggravated an abdominal injury, Ian Cundall of Baseball America reports.
Analysis: He suffered an abdominal strain in spring training and didn't get activated until May 19, so this latest abdominal strain could keep him out another couple months. When healthy, Sinnard has been excellent, as the 6-foot-7 righty has a 2.35 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 25.8 K-BB% and 15.8 percent swinging-strike rate in 23 innings this season. In addition to getting healthy, Sinnard could eventually use a bump in competition, as he turns 24 in October and has yet to pitch above High-A. |
|
Michael Harris II Michael Harris II Swats 18th homer
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 10:59 AM
Harris went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's win over the Padres.
Analysis: The center fielder got Atlanta on the board in the fifth inning when he got hold of a JP Sears sweeper and lofted it over the wall in the right-field corner. Harris has seven hits in his last four games, including two doubles and two long balls, and through 16 contests in July he's delivered a .329/.333/.562 slash line with four of his 18 homers on the season, along with 12 runs and 16 RBI. |
|
Ozzie Albies Ozzie Albies Launches 15th homer
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 10:56 AM
Albies went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's win over the Padres.
Analysis: The veteran second baseman took Wandy Peralta deep in the sixth inning for what proved to be the game-winning blast in a 3-2 victory. The long ball snapped a 12-game power drought for Albies, a stretch in which he'd hit just .200 (10-for-50) with an uncharacteristically high 25.0 percent strikeout rate. On the season, he sports a .755 OPS -- his highest mark since 2023 -- with 15 homers, 54 RBI and 63 runs in 99 contests. |
|
Victor Mederos Victor Mederos Steps up for first career save
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 10:06 PM
Mederos secured the save Monday against San Diego, allowing one hit and one walk in 2.1 scoreless innings. He struck out one.
Analysis: Closer Raisel Iglesias worked each of the past two days for Atlanta, but Mederos stepped up in a high-leverage spot Monday for his first career save. The 25-year-old right-hander has almost exclusively handled low-leverage work in 2026 and shouldn't be expected to see many more save chances in the future, though he does hold an excellent 0.96 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB over 9.1 innings. |
|
Bryce Elder Bryce Elder Six strong innings in sixth win
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 10:00 PM
Elder (6-6) earned the win Monday against San Diego, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk in six-plus innings. He struck out four.
Analysis: Elder came out for the seventh inning Monday, but he served up a solo home run to Ty France and was promptly pulled from the outing. It was the right-hander's first quality start since June 7 versus Pittsburgh, but he hasn't given up fewer than multiple runs since May 22 against Washington. Elder is set to finish a two-start week over the weekend in Baltimore, where he'll carry a middling 4.06 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 90:33 K:BB over 108.2 innings. |
|
Spencer Schwellenbach Spencer Schwellenbach Cleared for mound work
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 9:53 PM
Schwellenbach (elbow) has been cleared to throw bullpen sessions, MLB.com reports.
Analysis: It's not yet clear as to when Schwellenbach might embark on a rehab assignment, but he appears to be trending in the right direction. He'll likely be asked to complete several more bullpen sessions without issue before the club feels comfortable putting him up against live hitters. |
|
Jim Jarvis Jim Jarvis Settling in at shortstop
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 5:19 PM
Jarvis will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Padres.
Analysis: Jarvis will cover shortstop for the fifth game in a row, with three of those starts coming against righties and two coming versus lefties. Since being called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on July 2, Jarvis has posted a strong .297/.333/.459 slash line with one home run, four RBI and five runs in 11 games and has provided solid defense in the middle infield. So long as he keeps hitting, Jarvis should be able to hold down a near-everyday role at shortstop while Mauricio Dubon is needed in the outfield as long as at least one of Ronald Acuna (hamstring) and Mike Yastrzemski (elbow) remain on the shelf. |
|
Dominic Smith Dominic Smith Retreating to bench versus lefty
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 5:16 PM
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.
Analysis: The left-handed-hitting Smith will hit the bench for the second time in four games since the All-Star break while Atlanta goes up against lefty JP Sears in the series opener. With Smith taking a seat, Drake Baldwin will get a day off from catching but will stay in the lineup at designated hitter. |
|
Brewer Hicklen Brewer Hicklen Sitting Monday
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 5:15 PM
Hicklen is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres.
Analysis: Since being promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett on July 11, Hicklen has started in Atlanta's last three matchups versus right-handed pitching, but he's sat the last two times the club has matched up against lefties. Eli White will get the nod in right field Monday, but both he and Hicklen will see their playing time tail off when Ronald Acuna (hamstring) potentially returns from the injured list later this week. |
|
Hurston Waldrep Hurston Waldrep Exits Triple-A start with arm issue
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 4:04 PM
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Monday that Waldrep was removed from his start at Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday after just 36 pitches because "his arm didn't feel right," Harrison Smajovits of SI.com reports.
Analysis: Waldrep managed to throw three scoreless innings in the outing, but he averaged just 92.8 mph with his sinker, down from his 94.2 average. He will be evaluated before next steps are taken. Waldrep had surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow back in February, which caused him to miss the first two months of the season. |
|
Austin Riley Austin Riley Moved up to cleanup spot
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 2:24 PM
Riley will start at third base and bat cleanup in Monday's game versus the Padres.
Analysis: Riley is coming off a big weekend series against the Rangers, having gone 6-for-12 with three home runs. As a result, he is up in the cleanup spot for Atlanta for the first time since May 18. Riley had batted seventh in each of his last four and 13 of his last 16 starts. |
|
Done for season
Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 1:58 PM
Atlanta's Florida Complex League affiliate placed De La Cruz on the 60-day injured list July 13 with an undisclosed injury.
Analysis: Gaurav Vedak of Baseball Prospectus reported that De La Cruz suffered a "significant" injury in his last Dominican Summer League game June 23, which is why he was assigned to the FCL, where he is getting treatment and rehabbing. De La Cruz was Atlanta's most impressive DSL prospect prior to his injury, as he slashed .360/.500/.560 with two home runs, nine steals and a 14:14 K:BB in 64 plate appearances. The lefty-hitting outfielder is a plus runner and still managed solid power numbers despite a 51.4 percent groundball rate. Given the timing of the injury, De La Cruz won't play in official minor-league games again until 2027. |
Connect With Us:
