Braves give Drake Baldwin update that should have fans breathing sigh of relief (for now)

Okay, well...that isn't the worst news.

Eric Cole

May 15, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves designated hitter Drake Baldwin (30) reacts after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox center during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves fans were rudely greeted on Tuesday by the news that Drake Baldwin was put on the IL with an oblique injury. All of a sudden, the Braves were going to be without one of their best hitters and only healthy catcher of note at all. It was fair to wonder if Atlanta would be able to sustain their hot start to the season without him, as well as to wonder how long Baldwin could be out, given the tricky oblique recovery timelines.

After the Braves surged late to beat the Marlins 8-4, it looks like Atlanta may have gotten away with one here. During the post-game scrum, manager Walt Weiss was asked about Baldwin, and his update was encouraging, although it didn't come with as many answers as some fans hope.

Drake Baldwin has a grade 1 mild oblique strain but they don’t have a time line but Walt said when they say grade 1 it is a good thing.

Walt said they averted a major disaster.
— MattOlsonsBurner (@ChoppinBravos) May 19, 2026

Walt Weiss reveals Drake Baldwin has a Grade 1 oblique strain, but his return timeline is unclear

The best news here is that Baldwin only has a Grade 1 oblique strain and that the Braves "averted" disaster. Had Baldwin gotten a diagnosis of Grade 2 or worse, the time he would be out would be measured in months. THAT would have been quite bad. Oblique injuries are no joke in terms of recovery and lingering longer than you want, so Grade 2 is getting into "hope he is back early in the second half" territory.

However, what Weiss wasn't willing to do was to put a timeline on Baldwin's return to action. This is fair given the nature of oblique injuries and how physically demanding catching is, but that is little solace to a fanbase that just wants to know everything is okay. If you look at the oblique recoveries of other catchers like Shea Langeliers and Nick Fortes, a reasonable guess is in the three-to-four-week range as a starting point.

Now we just have to figure out how Atlanta is going to navigate the next weeks without Baldwin OR Sean Murphy, the latter of which is going to be out until at least near the All-Star break with a finger injury. Sandy Leon and Chadwick Tromp are fine stopgap solutions, but relying on them to handle everyday duties might be a bridge too far.

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.