3 Braves players who won’t be on the roster by July 1 and who should replace them

The Atlanta Braves are a mess. They lost again on Tuesday, getting shutout by the Baltimore Orioles to fall to 35-29 on the season. Their offense continues to slump, and their team as a whole continues its month-long struggle to win games.

While there's reason for Braves fans to believe that their season can turn around in an eye blink, there are also reasons for Braves fans to panic.

Perhaps one way for Atlanta to turn their season around is by making some roster changes. There probably won't be a major trade made until the trade deadline is closer, but that doesn't mean that the Braves can't make internal changes. Here are three that will probably be made by July 1.

3) Forrest Wall will replace J.P. Martinez

The Braves have replaced Ronald Acuña Jr. by having both Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall play every day in their corner outfield spots. That plan has not worked out at all, at least not yet.

While Kelenic has fared well against righties this season, he has just a .524 OPS against lefties. If you thought those splits were one-sided, wait until you see Duvall's.

Duvall has crushed left-handed pitching this season, posting a 1.007 OPS against southpaws. Against righties, however, he has six hits in 71 at-bats, hitting at an .085 clip. That, obviously, is unsustainable, and something that needs to be addressed.

A trade is certainly preferred, but Atlanta can look internally for now and replace Duvall against righties with a different outfielder on their 40-man roster. J.P. Martinez has that roster spot now, but he has just five at-bats all season and was outperformed by Forrest Wall, a player who made Atlanta's Opening Day roster over Martinez, in Spring Training.

This wouldn't be the biggest move, but Atlanta needs to bench Duvall against right-handed pitching. Wall has performed better than Martinez, and since they're both left-handed hitters, he should have Martinez's spot and even get a look against righties.

2) A.J. Minter will replace Hurston Waldrep

The Braves have been searching for a No. 5 starter since Spencer Strider suffered a season-ending injury in the beginning of April. It's been over two months, and Atlanta is still searching. They've tried several different options, but none of them have stuck. Hurston Waldrep fits into that.

Waldrep, Atlanta's No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, got the ball for his MLB debut on Sunday against the Washington Nationals. He pitched well in the first three innings, but allowed seven runs to score in the fourth inning to turn what was an early Braves lead into an insurmountable deficit.

Waldrep is likely going to get more chances to prove himself, but the question is if he even should. He has made only 18 minor league starts in his professional career since being drafted last season, and only two of those came in Triple-A. He'd likely benefit from more seasoning. Sending him down, especially if he struggles in his next start or two, would be wise.

A.J. Minter, Atlanta's primary set-up man, has been out since the end of May with hip inflammation. He was playing catch a week ago, and there were talks of Minter potentially going on a rehab assignment soon after. Assuming there are no setbacks, Minter should be back before July, and Waldrep is an easy option for him to replace.

1) Bryce Elder will replace Spencer Schwellenbach

Spencer Schwellenbach is another young starting pitcher that Atlanta has called upon to try and take over that vacant fifth starter spot, but like Waldrep, he has struggled. Schwellenbach has made two starts and has an 8.38 ERA in 9.2 innings of work. Not great.

The right-hander joined the major league team with even less upper-minor league experience than Waldrep. He made a total of two starts in Double-A and did not appear in a game at the Triple-A level. A starting pitcher with only two starts in Double-A getting promoted to the majors is unheard of, and Schwellenbach is showing that he might not be ready just yet.

If the Braves decide Schwellenbach would benefit from more seasoning, they have a lot of possible internal options to replace him. While Braves fans probably don't want Bryce Elder getting another chance after he struggled with the team earlier this season, it would make sense to give the former All-Star another shot.

Elder made five starts for Atlanta this season before being sent back down to the minors. He struggled in his first start back in the minors but has combined to allow just two earned runs in 14 innings of work in his last two outings. In those starts, he has allowed just eight hits while he has fanned 20. Obviously Triple-A is not the same as the majors, but if Elder keeps pitching like this it'll be hard to keep him down, especially while the likes of Schwellenbach and Waldrep struggle.

Both Schwellenbach and Waldrep are extremely talented and should be meaningful contributors in the rotation for the Braves for years to come, but there's reason to believe that they shouldn't be relied on yet, especially for a struggling team searching for wins.