Entering the All-Star break, the Atlanta Braves cling to a two-game division lead despite limping to the first-half finish line. Because of that, most would view the season's first half as a success. Now the page turns to the second half of the season, and what the Braves must do to position themselves for a deep postseason run.
If the Braves are going to hold off the Phillies and Marlins down the stretch, they are going to need some post All-Star break resurgences. Atlanta's roster is not littered with bounce-back candidates, but there are a few guys who really need to get things going in the season's second half.
These Braves' need to find their groove post All-Star break
Austin Riley
You can't begin a list like this without starting with third baseman Austin Riley. The 29-year-old third baseman has been one of the most disappointing players in baseball this season. Through 95 games on the season, Riley owns a .207/.288/.329 slash line.
Things went about as poorly as they possibly could have gone for Riley, and if the Braves want to be a viable threat to the Dodgers in October, getting vintage Riley back would go a long way. Riley currently ranks in the 13th percentile in strikeout rate (29.4 K%), and the severe drop in quality of contact has Riley under a lot of pressure to turn things around once second-half action gets underway.
Riley rakes 💪#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/Sfr0GEyeem
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 5, 2026
Ha-Seong Kim
One of Alex Anthopoulos' biggest moves of the previous offseason, Ha-Seong Kim has been unfathomably bad during the first half. By Fangraphs WAR, Kim (-1.1 fWAR) is one of the worst players in baseball thus far. An offseason ice rink injury certainly did not help Kim's cause, but producing a -26 wRC+ and .239 OPS in 27 games led to a quick benching from manager Walt Weiss.
Kim landed on the injured list with finger inflammation a couple of weeks ago, perhaps giving him the chance to reset both physically and mentally. Kim homered during his first rehab assignment plate appearance, so let's hope the worst is behind him and the Braves can salvage some value as the season goes on.
Ronald Acuña Jr.
It seems wrong to put the Braves right fielder and franchise star on this list, but it's hard to ignore the disappointment we felt watching Acuña play in just 53 games in the first half of 2026. Additionally, Acuña Jr.'s 121 wRC+ and 0.9 fWAR feel much, much closer to his floor than his ceiling.
Simply put, the Braves need RAJ on the field more during the season's final months. We have clearly learned over the years that this team goes as Ronald Acuña goes. He is a force multiplier in every sense, and a return to true MVP-level Acuña Jr. form takes Atlanta to a different level.
Any starting pitcher not named Chris Sale
Dealer's choice here, the starting rotation has been very pedestrian as the season has progressed. Veteran ace Chris Sale has been the one constant, but after him the rotation has been very inconsistent.
Any of Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, or Bryce Elder being a passable starter in the second half would be amazing, but it's not something Alex Anthopoulos should bank on. Returning young arms like Hurston Waldrep and AJ Smith-Shawver both have rust to shake off, so it's clear the Braves will have to go external to fix their rotation issues.
Honorable mention: Walt Weiss
Yes, this list is not exclusive to players on the field. Much like the team, manager Walt Weiss faded in his decision making down the stretch of the first half. Weiss was refreshingly aggressive early on in the season, chasing wins anytime the Braves were in a tightly contested game late.
Unfortunately, as the Braves hit a skid so did their manager. Weiss made some puzzling decisons down the stretch, backing off with his bullpen aggression, and often getting greedy when attempting to steal outs from a starting pitcher that was past his effectiveness in-game.
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