Now that the All-Star break has come to an end, the Atlanta Braves have to turn their attention to the impending trade deadline. While they are likely to keep a majority of their players, guys who are pending free agents like Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias are going to get actively shopped around no matter how they play coming out of the break.
However, there is another class of player on the Braves roster for whom the next couple of weeks is going to matter a lot. Play well and they could find themselves getting a good bit of playing time the rest of the season. If they struggle, they could find themselves out of a job.
Here are the Braves players that need to prove their worth ahead of the trade deadline to stick around
This is not an attempt to identify the most likely trade candidates. Given where the Braves sit in the standings right now, there is little Ozuna or Iglesias could do to change their availability at the trade deadline unless they play so badly that no one wants them (entirely possible). Instead, this is a look at fringe roster guys that could be traded, but their place on the roster is tenuous regardless.
Nacho Alvarez Jr.
Alvarez has dealt with injuries for most of the season with a wrist injury sidelining him for most of the first half and then an oblique injury biting him down at Triple-A. Right now, Alvarez Jr. is getting a look in the big leagues while Austin Riley heals up. However, he is not going to be out for long and if Alvarez is going to stick around, it may be as a shortstop assuming he plays well which leads us to...
Nick Allen
Allen's demise as the Braves' shortstop has been predicted for a while now. Up until now, he has stuck around due to a complete lack of alternatives combined with his strong play on defense. However, most agree that his bat just won't be enough to keep him around long-term if trends hold. If Alvarez plays well and Allen continues to struggle, we could see a change.
Rafael Montero
Montero is a truly frustrating reliever to watch as his success feels accidental. He had a pretty good run in June, but the start of July saw him give up runs in two of his last five appearances. While he can have good swing and miss stuff, his appearances don't showcase that frequently and they often turn into adventures. If he pitches well coming out of the break, then keeping him around is defensible if unfortunate. If he keeps making close games even closer, Atlanta needs to move on.
Jesse Chavez
This one hurts because ideally, keeping Chavez around until he is 50 is something that most fans would endorse. He is a mascot for the Braves and a guy that is probably going to become a great pitching coach very soon after he retires. The odds that 2025 are his last season are extremely high, but his last two appearances have been tough and leads one to believe that the end could be even closer.
Eli White
White was a fun story to start the season, but his bat has cooled off and now the Braves find themselves with a conundrum. They already have both Stuart Fairchild and Luke Williams on the roster to handle pinch-running and now Jurickson Profar is back which cuts into the outfield playing time significantly. White is only going to get a little bit of playing time in the near future during which he has to play well. Otherwise, his skillset becomes extremely redundant.