The Atlanta Braves have had a hot start out of the All-Star break, winning five of the first seven games in the second half. This run has kept the Braves firmly in first place in the NL East. However, the cracks that started to show at the end of the first half are still very present.
The Braves will almost certainly be adding multiple pieces at the trade deadline, which will lead to several Braves currently on the 40-man roster needing to find another club.
4 Braves players who won't survive past the trade deadline
Dominic Smith
Even though Smith hit a huge home run in the series finale against the San Diego Padres, the past month-and-a-half has not been good for the Braves DH. Prior to Thursday's game, Smith had slashed .181/.273/.234 with just three extra bases. His -0.9 fWAR was the 4th-worst among position players with at least 100 plate appearances.
Unfortunately, Smith's prolonged slump wasn't a product of bad luck either, as his .245 xwOBA in this span was only slightly better than his .233 wOBA. Essentially, the batted ball data matched Smith's outputs.
With Ronald Acuña Jr. coming back soon, and with Smith's lack of positional versatility, he might not even make it through this next road trip.
Elieser Hernández
Some Braves fans might not even realize Elieser Hernández is still on the active roster. 4 The former Marlins pitcher was added to the 26-man roster on July 19, and hasn't appeared in an inning since. Hernández had a 4.83 ERA with the Triple-A Stripers before getting called up, so his addition to the roster was purely in case the Braves needed someone to eat innings in a blow out.
Joey Bart
Bart was acquired from the Pirates in mid-June to try and improve a very ugly backup catcher situation. While the former second overall pick has performed much better than Sandy León and Chadwick Tromp had performed, he has slashed .139/.279/.361 with the Braves.
With Sean Murphy beginning his rehab assignment, the Braves unfortunately won't have room to keep him, and with Bart out of options, the Braves will be forced to DFA the 29-year-old.
Jorge Mateo
After having a hot start to begin his tenure with the Atlanta Braves, Jorge Mateo's bat has cratered. Since June, he has just six hits in 51 plate appearances. As bad as Ha-Seong Kim was prior to going on the IL, Mateo was almost as bad.
Although his speed and defense are still above-average, the emergence of Jim Jarvis will leave Mateo's spot on the roster vulnerable, with both the deadline nearing and Kim's rehab assignment almost up.
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