Home sweet home: Eddie Rosario has homer-filled day in return to Atlanta

A season-ending injury to Ronald Acuña Jr. and a long-term injury suffered by Michael Harris II put the Atlanta Braves' depth to the test more than anyone could've expected. Not only has Adam Duvall had to step into the starting lineup just about every day, but they've had to rely on guys like Ramon Laureano, Forrest Wall, and even Eli White to start games in the outfield.

The lack of depth was apparent for this Braves team that has taken a major step back offensively. Adding at least one outfielder will certainly be on Alex Anthopoulos' agenda for the trade deadline, but adding impact players way before the deadline is either an impossibility or would require the Braves to overpay a ton.

Instead of forcing a trade, Anthopoulos was patient, and was rewarded by the Washington Nationals who DFA'd former Braves postseason hero, Eddie Rosario. Yes, he was struggling in his season with the Nats, but just last season he hit 21 home runs for the Braves.

The Braves bringing Rosario back on a pre-deadline trial run made too much sense and sure enough, Anthopoulos pulled the trigger. After playing in three games for Triple-A Gwinnett, the Braves promoted Rosario. He got off to a bit of a slow start, but on his first day playing home games for the Braves this season, Rosario broke out in a huge way.

Braves deal with Eddie Rosario already paying dividends thanks to massive day in homecoming

Rosario entered Saturday's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals with just four hits in his first 25 at-bats with the Braves across seven games. That, after he slashed .183/.226/.329 with seven home runs in 67 games with the Nationals, was discouraging. The narrative changed drastically after his performance on Saturday.

He only had one hit in his three at-bats in the first game of the doubleheader, but he drew a walk, and that one hit happened to clear the fence. He had launched a game-tying two-run home run on the second pitch thrown by Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez.

Atlanta wound up winning the game 3-2 in extra innings. They would not have had a chance to win had Rosario not come through with that home run.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, Rosario's day was far from over.

The Braves had a tall task ahead of them for the nightcap of the doubleheader, facing Sonny Gray, the Cardinals ace, but they weren't going to go down easily. Bryce Elder put them in a tough position as Atlanta trailed 6-2 heading to the bottom of the sixth inning, but then their offense went to work.

Austin Riley launched a one-out home run to cut the lead to three. Two batters later, Marcell Ozuna went yard. Two pitches later, with the crowd fully bought back in, Rosario went deep, causing Truist Park to erupt.

The Braves lost the game 9-5, but Rosario had two hits in that second game including the home run. He went 3-for-7 overall with two home runs on the day. His first day back in Atlanta as a Brave.

Braves fans know very well that Rosario, when he's hot, can light the world on fire. Even this season, he had a .849 OPS in May, which blows every other month from the 2024 campaign out of the water. A red-hot Rosario adds another dimension to an already-feared lineup.

Will Saturday's doubleheader kickstart a Rosario hot streak? I have no idea. It does give hope that he still has something left in the tank, though. It also, at the very least, proves that Alex Anthopoulos was right to bring him back even if he isn't starting games in October.