Atlanta Braves death star nears full operation with latest roster move

The Atlanta Braves are nearing full strength, which should terrify the rest of baseball. Atlanta activated Travis d’Arnaud off the injured list.

While it was thought Travis d’Arnaud’s inclusion on the roster would lead to a Marcell Ozuna DFA, that may no longer be the case due to the latter’s sudden hot streak. Ozuna and d’Arnaud will compete for at-bats at designated hitter, while also filling in when either Sean Murphy (d’Arnaud at catcher) or Sam Hilliard/another left fielder (Ozuna at LF) needs an off day.

Too many bats is a good problem to have if you’re Atlanta, which already possesses one of the best starting pitching staffs in all of baseball. Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Spencer Strider, Kyle Wright and more make up an elite quartet. If this offense is scoring runs, look out — there’s a reason the Braves have the best record in the National League.

MLB Rumors: Atlanta Braves just got even better

d’Arnaud has been out since early April, when he suffered a severe concussion against the San Diego Padres. Atlanta was right to be cautious with d’Arnaud, who described his symptoms a few weeks back to The Athletic:

"“Yeah, they’re wild,” d’Arnaud said at the time, per David O’Brien (subscription required). “It’s way different (than other injuries). I’ve been getting asked the same thing (about when he’s coming back). I say, ‘I don’t know, I’ve gotta have no symptoms with anything, and then I can come back.’”"

Thankfully, d’Arnaud’s symptoms have calmed enough for him to make his way back on the roster, and hopefully into the lineup for a Braves team with one of the most complete position groups in baseball. Catcher is not a weakness for Atlanta, as Sean Murphy and d’Arnaud both rank as two of the top catchers in the National League when healthy.