Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Atlanta Braves' lead over the Phillies in the National League East has shrunk to just 2.5 games after a concerning seven-game losing streak.
- Three existing roster players now carry the weight of turning around Atlanta's season with the trade deadline still months away.
- Performance metrics for these three names reveal just how steep the climb back to division dominance will be.
The Atlanta Braves must feel like the walls are closing in.
The Braves’ lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East is just 2 ½ games after Atlanta lost at home to the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 on Tuesday night while the Phillies blanked the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 8-0. The Braves have lost seven of their last eight games and are 13-18 since building what was seemingly a comfortable 10.5-game cushion in the division standings on April 23.
It may not be time for the Braves (49-34) to enter panic mode with 79 games remaining. It would also be difficult to get help from outside the organization, with the MLB trade deadline not until Aug. 3, and most teams believe they are contenders in the three-wild-card era.
So, the Braves are likely going to have to look at players currently on the roster to stop their midseason slide. Here are three players who need to step up their games.
Austin Riley
Riley finished in the top seven in NL Most Valuable Player voting for three straight seasons from 2021-23. The third baseman’s production declined in the past two seasons and has fallen to replacement level this year with 0.0 bWAR after 83 games.
It is hard to imagine that the 29-year-old is over the hill. However, he is hitting .207/.286/.333 slash line with eight home runs
Perhaps Riley will never return to the 2021-23 level when he slashed .284/.356/.525 and averaged 36 homers and 99 RBIs a season. The Braves, though, need more than they are currently receiving from a player in just the fourth season of a 10-year, $212-million contract.
Ha-Seong Kim
Kim did not make his season debut until May 12 after sustaining a torn tendon in his right middle finger in January when he slipped on ice in his native South Korea. The injury required surgery, and Kim was unable to play in Grapefruit League games during spring training.
Through 27 games, the 30-year-old shortstop looks lost at the plate as he is just 5 for 73 with all the hits being singles. That equates to a .068/.171/.068 slash line from a player on a one-year, $20-million contract.
Kim was a league-average hitter prior to the injury as well as a plus defender. The Braves obviously need to get something resembling that from him.
Mike Yastrzemski
The Braves signed Yastrzemski to a two-year, $23-million contract in free agency last winter, and the 35-year-old has struggled to live up to the deal. In 75 games, the right fielder is hitting .223/.308/.337 with just four home runs.
Yastrzemski has been a consistent power threat since making his MLB debut in 2019 with the San Francisco Giants, averaging 22 homers per 162 games over eight seasons. He hit 17 last season in 146 games with the Giants and Kansas City Royals.
Despite being ninth in the big leagues in runs scored, the Braves could use similar production from Yastrzemski for the remainder of the season.
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