In a lot of ways, the Atlanta Braves roster is a bit of a mess. Long-term contracts, well-established roles, and a lack of minor league options across the board have made Atlanta's roster pretty inflexible and made rotating in fresh faces at the spots that have struggled more complicated. If you wanted to know why the Braves have kept bringing back the ghost of Carlos Carrasco over and over again, that is a big reason why.
The issue is that the Braves' depth isn't where it needs to be right now because of injuries and ineffectiveness, so they are having to rely on imperfect solutions. It feels unlikely that Atlanta will let Ha-Seong Kim have the reins at shortstop again, and guys like Ronald Acuña Jr., AJ Smith-Shawver, Spencer Strider, and Sean Murphy are working their way back from injuries. Once they are approaching their returns and the trade deadline gets closer, the Braves need to make some changes.
Here are the Braves players that need to be off the roster by the time the trade deadline passes
If we are honest with ourselves, Atlanta is not going to get rid of ALL of these guys. Some of them have been forced into more prominent roles that don't fit their skillsets, so a shift to a more supporting role would do the trick. Others...well, they need to be someone else's problem by the time the trade deadline arrives. Also, we are operating under the assumption that Ha-Seong Kim getting cut loose soon is inevitable, given the number of hints that it is coming, so don't be mad that he isn't included here despite being an easy choice.
Dom Smith
The Dom Smith story from early in the season was a fun one, as he was a big reason why Atlanta got off to such a hot start this season. Unfortunately, whatever magic Smith had found in the spring seems to have worn off. Over his last 26 games, the veteran has only been able to manage a .176/.241/.247 line. There have been a couple big hits in there, but Smith has clearly turned back into a pumpkin and needs to, at minimum, get shifted back to a bench role.
Carlos Carrasco
Look, we are as amused as you are by the Braves constantly re-signing Carrasco, calling him up from the minors, and then DFA-ing him over and over again, but the utility is gone. When the Braves use Carrasco nowadays, he is not helping anyone and even costing Atlanta winnable games. The desire to preserve pitching depth is understandable, but Carrasco is not depth worth preserving anymore.
Martin Perez
Speaking of magic wearing off, Martin Perez is in a similar boat, and he honestly may have been spared being cut from the Braves roster by his impending IL stint after taking a line drive off his arm. Perez's last few starts have exposed him at this stage of his career, and for a team with the aspirations that the Braves have, his rotation spot is one that needs upgrading. The IL stint might mean Atlanta can stash him away just in case without needing to use a roster spot, but his days of pitching every fifth day for Atlanta need to be over.
Mike Yastrzemski
If you are going to be signed to a contract for real money to be a platoon bat, you do at least need to, you know, hit within your platoon. Unfortunately, Mike Yastrzemski has hit precious little at all with the Braves outside of a couple short streaks. Having Yaz's .664 OPS in the lineup every day has hurt Atlanta's lineup depth, and it is not an arrangement that can last much longer. Yastrzemski is making too much money to get cut loose completely, but he needs to be a bench bat at best.
Bryce Elder
Well, it was a fun run while it lasted with Bryce Elder. Very quickly, Elder has gone from one of the Braves' absolute best pitchers to one of their worst. This is a problem that might take care of itself, as Elder's velocity drop lately could easily be injury related. However, that he has pitched so poorly lately, combined with some young arms pressing for playing time, has made Elder's spot on the Braves' roster VERY tenuous.
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