The Braves will wrap up the first half of the season out west with a series each against the Diamondbacks and Padres. Prior to tonight’s game in Arizona, the team announced a plethora of roster moves.
The #Braves today recalled RH Bryce Elder to Atlanta and he will start tonight’s game at Arizona. The club also selected OF Eddie Rosario to the major league roster, and optioned LH Dylan Lee and OF Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta…
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 8, 2024
Originally, Chris Sale was slated to start, but as they have for most of the season, the Braves are going back to a six-man rotation to give their top arms as much rest as possible.
There is some debate about whether the Braves should go back to a five-man rotation more permanently, given they are trailing in the division and really need to put their best foot forward if they want to catch the Phillies. However, keeping Max Fried, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Charlie Morton, and even the rookie Spencer Schwellenbach fresh should be priority #1.
As expected, the Braves are also bringing back Eddie Rosario, who signed a minor-league contract with the team last week and spent the weekend in Gwinnett, where he had a homer and triple over three games. Rosario likely isn’t going to be the team’s saving grace, like he was in 2021, but the Braves are desperate for outfield help. If he can even provide the club with average play until the trade deadline, it’ll prove to be a worthwhile acquisition.
To make room for Elder and Rosario on the 26-man roster, Dylan Lee and Luke Williams were optioned to Gwinnett. Lee going down is a bit of a surprise, given how good he’s been the season, owning a 2.00 ERA over 28 appearances. But because he has options, it made him the most likely candidate to join the Stripers and perhaps get some much-needed rest going into the second half of the season.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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