The Braves fell in a series against the Rays, leading to a 4-11 record. At any given time, one facet of the club seems to fail.

The rotation’s depth is a major concern. The lineup continues to falter. About the only area that has performed as expected is the bullpen, but nobody expected the relievers to be any good.

Simply put, this baseball club isn’t anywhere close to championship caliber right now. The Braves need help and fast because they’re falling behind quickly. Thankfully, reinforcements are on the way. Ronald Acuna Jr. is still a few weeks away from returning, but Spencer Strider and Alex Verdugo are on the cusp of making their 2025 debuts.

According to David O’Brien of The Athletic,  Strider is expected to make his season debut in Toronto on Wednesday. The return of Strider couldn’t come at a better time. Chris Sale is struggling, and Reynaldo Lopez is on the injured list with a shoulder that could cost him the entire season. Spencer Schwellenbach is the only one who is living up to expectations. But Strider can’t improve the lineup; that’s where Verdugo comes in.

According to O’Brien, Verdugo could join the Braves as early as this week in Toronto. He was pulled from yesterday’s game early after cranking a monster home run, a sign that a promotion could be imminent. In seven games with the Stripers, the former Yankees outfielder owns a .750 OPS with two home runs. Is he going to rescue Atlanta’s offense? Probably not, but Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz have been pathetic at the plate. He can’t be worse than them.

The Braves need to start stringing together series wins or even Ronald Acuna Jr. won’t be able to dig them out of this hole.

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Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire