Braves much-needed roster move comes with one major head-scratcher

The long ailing Atlanta Braves’ outfield got a much-needed boost on Monday. Eddie Rosario, who was just picked up by the Braves after being DFA’d by the Nationals, made his second Atlanta debut on Monday.

Since the injuries of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Michael Harris II, the Braves have cycled through various outfielders such as Ramon Laureano and Eli White. Both Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall, who were once platooned together, have since been thrust into everyday roles.

Rosario was a Brave as recently as last year. With the Nationals, he was slashing .183/.226/.329 with seven home runs prior to making his Braves’ season debut.

Rosario is best known as a Braves’ postseason hero. In 2021, Rosario went 14-25 with three home runs, one double, one triple, and three walks against the Dodgers in the NLCS. His scorching six-game run earned him the NLCS MVP award. The Braves would go on to win the World Series against the Houston Astros.

In his previous full season of production just last year, Rosario hit 21 home runs with a .255 average.

Braves options Dylan Lee while bringing up Eddie Rosario

With the promotion of Eddie Rosario, the Braves announced they would be optioning Dylan Lee and Luke Williams. JP Martinez was DFA’d.

The real head-scratcher here was the puzzling demotion of left-handed reliever Dylan Lee. Lee owns an exceptional 2.00 ERA through 36 IP. Still, a move as strange as this can be explained.

In a corresponding move, the Braves called up RHP starter Bryce Elder. Elder was called up to start the game against the Diamondbacks on Monday. Dylan Lee pitched an inning the day prior. Elder was likely called up to give the starting rotation some rest before the All-Star break. Lee, since he pitched the day before, was never likely to take the mound.

The Braves bullpen got off to a bumpy start, but has since become lights out. Elder, on the other hand, owned a 5.76 ERA through six starts prior to Monday. In any case, Elder will most likely be sent down soon and Lee will probably be recalled.

With Ian Anderson on the mend, the Braves will have six viable options in Reynaldo Lopez, Charlie Morton, Chris Sale, Max Fried, and Spencer Schwellenbach in addition to Anderson.