The Atlanta Braves do have some glaring needs at the moment, and the big ones have been getting plenty of attention during the team's unfortunate slump of late. Finding a righty bat to play one of left field or shortstop would be great for lineup balance and production, and Atlanta's need for another starter was already well-established BEFORE Spencer Strider's arm injury. However, one need that has persisted in the background is the need for another lefty reliever.
After Aaron Bummer's implosion, Atlanta has been without a true lefty specialist outside of Dylan Lee, who is used in mostly high-leverage spots due to being good against everyone. Dylan Dodd is a fine middle reliever who can throw multiple innings, but he is actually better against righties than lefties. To neutralize tough left-handed bats, the Braves need to have another bullpen option available.
In all likelihood, Alex Anthopoulos already knows this and has a number of potential trade candidates in mind for when the deadline chaos gets rolling. However, the Braves really do need to give strong consideration to a familiar internal option that is turning things around in Hayden Harris.
Despite his flaws, the Braves should see what they have in Hayden Harris as a bullpen option
Now, Harris isn't putting up the loud performance he did last year when he posted a 0.52 ERA in 43 appearances in the minor leagues. However, despite a less-than-exiting 3.86 ERA this season thus far, he has been much better lately. The month of April was atrocious for Harris, and on May 8, he found himself with a 6.43 ERA.
However, since then, it looks like Harris figured something out. In his next 11 appearances, Harris has given up exactly one earned run while striking out 11 batters in 11.2 innings of work. Given his previous track record, combined with the improvements, there are reasons to believe that this turnaround is going to stick.
Now, there is one big problem that has surfaced this year with Harris, and that is with walks. He is currently averaging close to a walk per inning, but the bulk of the damage there was in that rough stretch from earlier in the season, which saw 16 of the 25 batters he has walked in 2026. Still, the walk rate is high, and the Braves would have to be sure that they at least have a fix in mind to get him to throw more strikes. Walks were also a much lesser concern in the last couple of years, so there is hope he can get back to his previous form.
Is Harris a guarantee to fix the Braves' bullpen? Nope, he sure isn't. However, he has been pitching better, and if the Braves can give him a chance to see if he can prove himself, it could go a long way towards providing some clarity as to how hard to push for lefty relief help at the deadline.
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