Atlanta Braves - Overview (2024)

The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Monday. Expect Saturday’s scheduled starters — Bryce Elder and Yu Darvish — to start on Sunday night. That would push Reynaldo Lopez and Randy Vasquez back until Monday’s twin bill.

Riley will miss his fifth straight contest due to left side inflammation. There’s a possibility he’ll be ready to go at some point later this weekend, but Atlanta clearly doesn’t want to take any chances by rushing him back too quickly. It’ll be Zack Short drawing another start at the hot corner in his ongoing absence.

No surprise here after d’Arnaud was removed from Friday’s game after experiencing dizziness following a foul ball to the mask. Initial tests indicated he didn’t suffer a concussion, but he’s had four concussions already in his career, so the Braves are going to proceed with caution. He’s day-to-day with a head contusion for the moment.

Johnson returns to bolster Atlanta’s high-leverage relief mix following a two-week absence due to right elbow inflammation. The 33-year-old righty was a revelation last year for the Braves following a midseason trade from the Rockies and boasts a stellar 16/5 K/BB ratio across 12 innings of work this season.

Stephens draws the short straw in Atlanta’s bullpen with Pierce Johnson returning from the injured list ahead of Saturday’s game against the Padres. The 30-year-old righty has been removed from the club’s 40-man roster altogether following three appearances for the Braves after being called up earlier this month from Triple-A Gwinnett. He figures to be back up with Atlanta at some point later this summer, if not sooner.

ESPN.com’s Tisha Thompson first reported on Friday night that Fletcher bet on sports, but not baseball, with the same California bookmaker — Mathew Bowyer — that took wagers from Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. The 29-year-old infielder played for the Angels from 2018-2023 and could wind up facing league discipline. It’s legal for players to bet on sports other than baseball, but not with an illegal bookmaker.

Fried didn’t allow any hits in two of his previous three starts. He’d given up a total of seven in his last four. Tonight, though, he just couldn’t stop the bleeding. All nine hits he allowed were singles, and only four of them came on hard-hit balls. Fried definitely didn’t help himself by walking three batters along the way, but this still seems pretty fluky. He’s now 3-2 with a 3.81 ERA.

The 35-year-old backstop was dizzy after taking a foul ball off of his mask, prompting his removal from the game. The good news, is that he passed the initial concussion tests without issue, but he will be evaluated again on Saturday before the team makes a determination on his status. For now, he should be considered day-to-day.

It’s still encouraging that there has been no chatter about a possible trip to the injured list, which would seemingly mean that Riley is making progress and should return to the lineup any day now. Zack Short will once again start in his place at the hot corner and will bat ninth against Matt Waldron and the Padres.

Acuña received the day off on Wednesday as the Braves look for him to break out of his slump. He went 0-for-5 at the plate on Tuesday, which dropped his average to .245 on the season. Acuña’s .696 OPS is the lowest of his career. Hopefully the short break helps him get on track.