ONE YEAR AFTER COMFORTABLY SECURING THEIR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE DIVISION TITLE, THE ATLANTA BRAVES ARE STRUGGLING TO ADDRESS AN INCREASING NUMBER OF ISSUES WITHIN THE TEAM. 

Five key players are out, some for the rest of the season, and the team has posted a 35-38 record since starting the season with a league-best 19-7.

As of Tuesday, the Braves remain in second place in the National League East,

trailing Philadelphia by eight and a half games and are at risk of losing the NL’s top wild-card spot.

Sirius XM’s outspoken host Chris (Mad Dog) Russo even predicted on his “High Heat” show Monday that the Braves will

miss the playoffs entirely—a surprising forecast for a team that began the season as World Series favorites.

“It’s just not their year,” Russo said, noting that second baseman Ozzie Albies

(broken wrist) and All-Star pitcher Max Fried (forearm neuritis) had joined defending National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.

(torn ACL), strikeout leader Spencer Strider (elbow surgery), and talented center-fielder Michael Harris II (oblique injury) on a star-studded injury list.

Making matters worse is a team-wide batting slump affecting everyone except

designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who appears on track for his second consecutive 40-homer season.

The primary offender is first baseman Matt Olson. After leading the majors with career highs in home runs (54) and runs

batted in (139), he was labeled “the black hole of the lineup” by Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday.

Olson began this week with a .135 batting average over his last 28 games—nearly a full month—and his once-celebrated power seems like a distant memory.

Meanwhile, former franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman, now

excelling with the Los Angeles Dodgers after signing as a free agent, hit his 16th homer on Sunday, boosting his on-base

percentage to .395 and OPS to .898. In contrast, Olson had a .222 average and a .692 OPS.

The 2023 Braves led both leagues with 104 victories, a record-tying 307 home runs, and an unmatched .501 team slugging percentage.

However, this year, even Acuña, Albies, and Harris were struggling before their injuries.

President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos has a reputation for making savvy moves, such as acquiring four outfielders to replace Acuña in 2021

when he suffered a season-ending injury (with Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario eventually leaving and returning).

Anthopoulos has promoted promising rookie Nacho Alvarez to play second base, signed Whit Merrifield as a

versatile backup, and is reportedly seeking additional pitching and outfield help.

One potential target is Jack Flaherty, Fried’s high school teammate in Santa Monica, even though Flaherty’s one-year,

$14 million contract with Detroit expires after this season. Fried’s contract also expires this year, so the Braves may need

to find a permanent replacement if he follows former team icons Dansby

Swanson and Freddie Freeman into free agency this fall.

Replacing the 27-year-old Albies will be a significant challenge. Since the Braves

moved to Atlanta in 1966, he has led all Braves second basemen in runs scored, runs batted in, and home runs.

The three-time All-Star has provided remarkable power for a middle infielder.

For instance, last year he set career highs with 33 home runs and 109 runs batted in.

Although injuries are unpredictable and unavoidable, the Braves have a strong

financial base—bolstered by high attendance at Truist Park and the successful businesses at The Battery

complex next to the ballpark—which should enable them to add salary if they acquire veteran talent before the trade deadline.