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AJ Smith-Shawver AJ Smith-Shawver Throwing bullpen sessions
Fri, May 22, 2026, 4:22 PM
Manager Walt Weiss said Friday that Smith-Shawver (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions, and the next step in his rehab is to face live hitters, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
Analysis: There hasn't been much info on Smith-Shawver's progress from Tommy John surgery, but Weiss said the right-hander has been throwing high-intensity bullpens, and it sounds like he's close to facing hitters. Once Smith-Shawver gets in some live batting practice, he'll likely then head out on an extended rehab assignment before having a chance to rejoin Atlanta's rotation later this summer. |
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Ronald Acuna Jr. Ronald Acuna Jr. In Atlanta lineup Friday
Fri, May 22, 2026, 3:07 PM
Acuna (thumb) will start in right field and bat leadoff in Friday's game against the Nationals.
Analysis: Acuna had to depart Thursday's contest versus the Marlins with a left thumb bone bruise, but the injury will not force him to miss any starts. The 28-year-old has reached base six times in three games since returning from his hamstring injury earlier this week. |
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Ha-Seong Kim Ha-Seong Kim Swipes first bag of year
Fri, May 22, 2026, 9:19 AM
Kim went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Marlins.
Analysis: The shortstop missed the first six weeks of the season while completing his recovery from finger surgery, and Kim looks like a player still scrambling to catch up. Over his first eight games, he's batting just .115 (3-for-26) with zero extra-base hits, but Thursday's steal was his first of 2026 and he's drawn a walk in three straight starts. Kim's also committed three errors. |
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Mike Yastrzemski Mike Yastrzemski Swats third homer
Fri, May 22, 2026, 9:14 AM
Yastrzenski went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Thursday's win over the Marlins.
Analysis: The veteran outfielder took Sandy Alcantara deep in the second inning for a solo shot. Yastrzemski didn't hit his first homer of the season until May 12, but he's now left the yard three times in his last nine games, batting .409 (9-for-22) over that stretch with three doubles, seven runs and eight RBI. He remains a consistent presence in the lineup against right-handed pitching, but which outfield corner he occupies in the short term could depend on whether Ronald Acuna (thumb) needs to miss additional time after exiting Thursday's game early. |
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Michael Harris II Michael Harris II Eighth career multi-homer game
Thu, May 21, 2026, 9:57 PM
Harris went 2-for-5 with a two home runs and three RBI in Thursday's 9-3 win over Miami.
Analysis: Harris recorded the eighth multi-homer game of his career Thursday and his second of the season already. After turning in a career-low .677 OPS across 611 regular-season at-bats in 2025, the center fielder is enjoying a resurgent campaign in 2026. Harris is batting a strong .298 with 11 long balls, five doubles, 29 RBI and three stolen bases over 168 at-bats. |
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Spencer Strider Spencer Strider Fans nine in quality start
Thu, May 21, 2026, 9:35 PM
Strider (2-0) earned the win Thursday against the Marlins, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out nine.
Analysis: Strider delivered his longest outing since coming off the injured list in early May, also logging his second quality start of the year. The hard-throwing right-hander induced an impressive 15 whiffs en route to fanning a season-high nine, but he's now walked multiple hitters in all four of his appearances thus far. Strider will carry a strong 3.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB across 21 innings into his next scheduled start against the Red Sox. |
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Ronald Acuna Jr. Ronald Acuna Jr. Dealing with bone bruise
Thu, May 21, 2026, 9:03 PM
Acuna suffered a bone bruise on his left thumb in Thursday's 9-3 win over Miami, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.
Analysis: Acuna left the game in the sixth inning, finishing his day 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. The 28-year-old told Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com that he expects to play Friday in Atlanta against the Nationals, and that the thumb was swollen after he was hit in a bad spot while catching a fly ball earlier in the contest. Manager Walt Weiss explained after the game that he wasn't sure when exactly the injury happened, but that he thinks that Acuna is "going to be fine." The outfielder can be considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's series opener with Washington. |
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Ronald Acuna Jr. Ronald Acuna Jr. X-rays negative on thumb
Thu, May 21, 2026, 7:56 PM
Acuna underwent X-rays on his left thumb, which came back negative, after exiting Thursday's contest against the Marlins in the sixth inning, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
Analysis: Acuna appears to have avoided any significant damage to his left thumb after his early departure from the series finale in Miami. The outfielder is considered day-to-day ahead of Atlanta's three-game series at home against the Nationals beginning Friday. |
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Ronald Acuna Jr. Ronald Acuna Jr. Removed early out of precaution
Thu, May 21, 2026, 7:24 PM
Acuna was removed from Thursday night's contest against the Marlins in the sixth inning with left thumb pain.
Analysis: Acuna was replaced in right field by Eli White ahead of the bottom of the sixth frame, bringing his night to a premature end after he went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. The team described the decision to pull Acuna as a precautionary move, so fantasy managers can momentarily breathe a sigh of relief. More information on his status will likely be provided in the near future. |
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Maverick Handley Maverick Handley Claimed by Atlanta
Thu, May 21, 2026, 2:19 PM
Atlanta claimed Handley off waivers from the Orioles on Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Analysis: With both Drake Baldwin (oblique) and Sean Murphy (finger) on the injured list, Atlanta is a bit thin at catcher at the moment, so the team will bring in Handley to provide some extra depth at the position. He'll report to Triple-A and would likely join the big club only if an injury strikes another one of Atlanta's backstops. Hurston Waldrep (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day IL in a corresponding move. |
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Hurston Waldrep Hurston Waldrep Moved to 60-day IL
Thu, May 21, 2026, 2:19 PM
Atlanta transferred Waldrep (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Analysis: The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver claim Maverick Handley. It does not alter Waldrep's timetable, as he is recovering from elbow surgery and not expected to be an option for Atlanta until late June at the earliest. |
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Victor Mederos Victor Mederos Dispatched to Triple-A
Thu, May 21, 2026, 10:07 AM
Atlanta optioned Mederos to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.
Analysis: Mederos covered two scoreless frames in Wednesday's win over the Marlins, but he's being sent out in favor of a fresh bullpen arm. Carlos Carrasco is absorbing Mederos' spot on the active roster. |
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Carlos Carrasco Carlos Carrasco Back with big club
Thu, May 21, 2026, 10:05 AM
Atlanta selected Carrasco's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.
Analysis: Carrasco is back to provide length in the Atlanta bullpen. The 39-year-old has made two appearances with the big club this season, tossing 2.1 scoreless frames. |
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Austin Riley Austin Riley Slugs eighth homer
Thu, May 21, 2026, 9:42 AM
Riley went 1-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Marlins.
Analysis: The third baseman took Janson Junk deep in the second inning to put Atlanta in the lead for good. The homer was Riley's eighth of the season and his fifth in May over 18 games, a month in which he's slashing .254/.301/.507 with 14 RBI, but a worrisome 3:23 BB:K. After a couple injury-marred campaigns, Riley has stayed healthy so far in 2026, but he has yet to put together an extended hot streak that would put him on track to reach the 30-HR, 90-RBI marks for the first time since 2023. |
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Dominic Smith Dominic Smith Smashes three-run homer
Wed, May 20, 2026, 9:57 PM
Smith went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-1 win over Miami.
Analysis: Smith snapped a long homer drought Wednesday, as his last long ball came over a month ago during the April 17 win in Philadelphia. The 30-year-old journeyman has found a home in 2026 as Atlanta's primary designated hitter, but he does routinely sit versus left-handed pitching. Through 98 at-bats (39 games), Smith is hitting a torrid .337 with nine extra-base hits, 22 RBI and 15 runs scored. |
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Chris Sale Chris Sale Dominance continues in win
Wed, May 20, 2026, 9:51 PM
Sale (7-3) earned the win Wednesday against Miami, allowing one run on four hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out eight.
Analysis: The All-Star southpaw found himself in peak form again Wednesday, generating 18 whiffs en route to fanning at least seven in his sixth consecutive start. Remarkably, Sale has now spun at least six frames while yielding one earned run or zero in eight of his 10 outings on the year as well. He'll take a career-best 1.89 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 72:14 K:BB over 62 innings into his next appearance, which tentatively lines up to come in Boston against the Red Sox. |
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Ha-Seong Kim Ha-Seong Kim Resting Wednesday
Wed, May 20, 2026, 2:04 PM
Kim is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.
Analysis: Mauricio Dubon will draw the start at shortstop while Kim heads to the bench for the second time since being activated from the 10-day injured list May 11. Through his first seven games with Atlanta, Kim has gone 2-for-23 (.087 average) with a 3:5 BB:K, two runs and one RBI. |
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Jose Azocar Jose Azocar DFA'd by Atlanta
Wed, May 20, 2026, 12:42 PM
Atlanta designated Azocar for assignment Wednesday.
Analysis: Atlanta reinstated Eli White (concussion) from the 7-day injured list, with Azocar giving up his spot on the active roster to facilitate the move. Azocar has logged 16 plate appearances with Atlanta on the season, slashing .333/.375/.467 with a stolen base and a run. |
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Eli White Eli White Returns from concussion IL
Wed, May 20, 2026, 12:38 PM
Atlanta activated White from the 7-day concussion injured list Wednesday.
Analysis: White missed a little more than a week of action while recovering from concussion symptoms, but he'll skip a rehab assignment and go directly back onto the big-league roster. The 31-year-old will serve as an extra outfielder for Atlanta and will see some playing time against left-handed pitching. |
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Ronald Acuna Jr. Ronald Acuna Jr. Scores three times in return
Tue, May 19, 2026, 10:19 PM
Acuna went 1-for-4 with two walks, a double and three runs scored in Tuesday's 8-4 win over the Marlins.
Analysis: Making his return from a hamstring strain that sidelined him May 2, Acuna got the start at DH and made an impact as the leadoff hitter. The superstar outfielder had been showing signs of heating up prior to getting hurt, slashing .276/.394/.397 over his prior 16 games with four doubles and a homer, but with Drake Baldwin (oblique) now on the shelf, Atlanta may need Acuna to find his power stroke quickly. |
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