The Atlanta Braves have a roster conundrum on their hands at the moment. With Ronald Acuña Jr. set to return from the IL at some point over the next few days, they have to decide whose roster spot is about to be taken. Brewer Hicklen is a popular choice because he can still be optioned to the minor leagues, but he has also been a nice bright spot for an Atlanta team in need of more right-handed hitting help. Eli White hasn't played well this year, but he is a trusted bench presence and adds some righty depth as well. However, one name that probably needs to be in the discussion is one that may get a lifeline.
Dom Smith was such a fun story early in the season and seems to be a great guy in the Braves clubhouse. Atlanta simply would not have gotten off to as hot a start as they did without Smith's contributions on offense.
However, with Smith's complete lack of positional flexibility in combination with his poor play of late, he should be a prime roster casualty candidate, but the signs right now point to the Braves going in a different direction.
Many of you were correct to point out that one home run shouldn’t change anything. My tweet had more to do with Dom being an experienced veteran who is loved throughout the clubhouse. Hicklen is a great guy as well. But Dom showing some life might have been all it took for the… https://t.co/cUL34GYw46
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 24, 2026
Dom Smith should be the Braves' next roster casualty when Ronald Acuña Jr. returns, but probably won't be
It is true that Smith had a big home run on Thursday that secured another much-needed series win over the Padres. However, that does not erase how poorly he has done at the plate in a roster spot where that simply should not be an option. Over his last 52 games with the Braves, Smith only has a .586 OPS, including just three homers. At designated hitter, there are any number of internal options that would give the Braves more than that, and it is the only viable way to get Smith in the lineup unless Matt Olson falls into a volcano...and even then, it is debatable.
Is Hicklen a perfect player? Absolutely not, but he has been pretty good since getting called up, and he has also given the Braves the right-handed outfield help that they have sorely needed. Put another way, what version of the Braves' roster is better the rest of the season with Smith on it versus Hicklen or almost anyone else? This isn't the early season anymore, and the time has passed for feeling the team out. We know what Smith is right now and, unfortunately, it isn't a player that Atlanta needs right now.
The odds are good that Bowman is right that the Braves will value Smith's influence in the clubhouse and the fact that Hicklen can get sent to the minors without much fuss the most. However, do we really think that Smith would get claimed after getting DFA'd at this point? Probably not, and as great of a dude as he is and how easy he is to root for, Atlanta would still probably be better off even if they ended up losing him to another team.
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