The Braves have begun the second half of the 2026 season and in a tight race for the NL East crown.
Keep it here for all the team’s personnel and injury news.
On Sunday, the Braves optioned pitcher Owen Murphy to Triple-A Gwinnett and called up Elieser Hernández from Triple-A.
Murphy made his first MLB start Saturday in the Braves' 7-6 loss to the Rangers at Truist Park. In three appearances with the big-league club, Murphy had a 4.05 ERA over 6 2 /3 innings.
Hernández has pitched in 20 games for Triple-A Gwinnett and made 11 starts. The right-hander has a 4.83 ERA and 1.51 WHIP over 76 1/3 innings.
On Monday, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim will begin their respective rehab assignments with the Florida Complex League Braves.
Acuña has been on the 10-day injured list since June 9 when he strained his right hamstring. The Braves right fielder has missed 30 games during his second stint on the IL this season.
Acuña has hit .251 in 53 games this season for the Braves. The 28-year-old has hit seven home runs and driven in 22 RBIs. Five of those homers and 14 of those RBIs came in May when he hit .286.
Kim has just five hits in 73 at-bats this season after missing significant time with a finger injury. He was placed on the 10-day IL earlier this month with inflammation of the right middle finger.
Both Acuña and Kim have 20 days to complete their respective rehab assignments.
The Braves made a noteworthy roster move Friday, sending starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep back to Triple-A.
Waldrep was scheduled to start Sunday in St. Louis against the Cardinals in the team's final game before the All-Star break. Rookie right-hander JR Ritchie will start that game instead.
Waldrep is 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in three appearances and two starts this season after returning from February elbow surgery. In Tuesday's start against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, he gave up seven earned runs, three homers and five walks.
Ritchie (1-2, 4.60) has been up and down this season between the Braves and Triple-A Gwinnett. He threw 1⅓ innings Thursday against the Pirates and allowed a run.
Also on Friday, Braves relief pitcher Tyler Kinley was reinstated from the paternity list.
Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver will make his third rehab start, this one scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, for Triple-A Gwinnett at Gwinnett Field in Lawrenceville.
Smith-Shawver has made two starts for Single-A Augusta, throwing seven innings and allowing one earned run and five hits over those two appearances. He has also struck out nine hitters.
The right-handed Smith-Shawver is working his way back from a 2024 Tommy John surgery.
The Braves on Thursday reinstated outfielder Eli White off the paternity list and designated outfielder José Azócar for assignment.
Azócar played three innings during Tuesday's 12-4 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and went 1-for-1 with a single.
The Braves on Wednesday made a roster move, calling up Víctor Mederos and optioning Connor Thomas back to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Thomas, a former Georgia Tech standout, made his Braves debut Tuesday during a 12-4 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The left-handed Thomas threw 3⅔ innings and allowed four earned runs on five hits and a walk.
Mederos, a righty, has a 2-5 record with a 4.24 ERA at Triple-A Gwinnett where he has thrown 40⅓ innings. Mederos pitched two scoreless innings for the Braves on May 20 in Miami against the Marlins.
The Braves on Tuesday made a pair of roster moves ahead of a three-game series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Connor Thomas, a left-handed pitcher, has been called up from Triple-A Gwinnett. The Tift County High School graduate and former Georgia Tech standout is 1-0 with a 1.14 ERA over 10 appearances with the Stripers and has pitched 23⅔ innings.
Thomas appeared in two games with the Brewers during the 2025 season.
In a corresponding move, starting pitcher Owen Murphy, who made his MLB debut in a relief appearance Monday during the Braves' loss to the Mets, was optioned to Triple-A.
The Braves also placed reliever Tyler Kinley on the paternity list and recalled relief pitcher James Karinchak.
Also on Tuesday, the Braves released pitcher Daysbel Hernández. Hernández, who spent three seasons with the Braves and pitched in 39 games in 2025, had appeared in 22 games for Triple-A Gwinnett this season and had a 5.06 ERA over 21⅓ innings.
Braves outfielder Eli White was placed on the paternity list Monday.
Taking White's spot on the roster is outfielder José Azócar. The Braves also designated catcher Jair Camargo for assignment.
White has hit .227 this season, mostly platooning in right field while Ronald Acuña Jr. has been on the injured list. Four of White's 18 RBIs this season came Saturday against the Mets at Truist Park.
Azócar has played nine games for the Braves this season but not since May 19. At Triple-A Gwinnett, Azócar has hit .243 over 58 games.
Camargo had hit .216 over 46 games with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Ahead of a four-game series with the Mets at Truist Park, the Braves made several roster moves Friday.
Reliever Anthony Molina was called up from Triple-A and reliever Danny Young returned to the roster after his rehab assignment. Reliever James Karinchak was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett and reliever Ian Hamilton was designated for assignment.
Young spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Braves, then 2024 and 2025 with the Mets. He began this season on the 60-day injured list and will be making his 2026 debut this weekend.
Molina has pitched in three games for the Braves this season, covering five innings and allowing three earned runs. Molina has a 4.14 ERA in 13 games (45⅔ innings) for Triple-A Gwinnett.
Both Hamilton and Karinchak pitched in Thursday's 11-5 loss to the Cardinals at Truist Park. Hamilton was charged a run on three hits in 1⅔ innings and Karinchak gave up a run on two hits.
The Braves have signed veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen to a minor-league contract. McCutchen was assigned Friday to the Florida Complex League Braves.
The 39-year-old and five-time All-Star has played parts of 18 MLB seasons, including 37 games this season with the Rangers. McCutchen hit .192 over 73 at-bats with the Rangers.
A first-round draft pick by the Pirates in 2005, McCutchen was an All-Star five straight seasons from 2011-2015. He is a career .271 hitter, having driven in 1,157 runs and hit 333 home runs.
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