It's been over three weeks since the Atlanta Braves lost their star catcher Drake Baldwin to the injured list. Since Baldwin went down, the Braves catching corps has struggled, and fans have been starving for any new related to the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year's return.
Before Tuesday's game against the White Sox, fans got the news that they were waiting for, with Jesús Cano of The Athletic reporting that Baldwin's rehab assignment is right on the horizon.
Walt Weiss said Drake Baldwin is currently at the club’s complex in Florida.
— Jesús Cano (@Jesus_Cano88) June 9, 2026
Baldwin is scheduled to face live batting practice on Thursday and Friday, and if all goes well, the plan is for him to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday and Sunday.
Drake Baldwin's return from oblique injury is imminent
When Baldwin initially left May 18th's game against the Miami Marlins with an oblique injury, fans were rightfully concerned about how much time he could miss. After all, just two years ago, they saw the Braves other catcher, Sean Murphy, miss two months with a similar injury.
Thankfully, updates shortly after indicated that Baldwin would not be out as long as his teammate had been in 2024. Since then, fans have just awaited any news regarding when his rehab assignment would begin.
According to Cano, the plan for Baldwin is to face live pitching on Thursday and Friday at the Braves spring training complex in Florida, and if things go will, play two rehab games with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers this weekend.
While Cano doesn't provide any further details, it's safe to assume that if Baldwin's two rehab games go well on Saturday and Sunday, he'd rejoin the big league club on Tuesday when the Braves return to Atlanta to face off against the Giants.
Baldwin's return would be huge for the Braves. Even after missing the last three weeks, the Braves star catcher is primed for his first All-Star appearance. The 25-year-old is still the best catcher in the National League by fWAR, with his 2.2 fWAR sitting 0.5 higher than the next-best catcher.
Meanwhile, in Baldwin's absence, the Braves catching has been abysmal. Catchers Sandy León, Chadwick Tromp, and Austin Wynns have combined to hit .105/.103/.123 with a -46 wRC+. No other team in baseball has a wRC+ below 31 among their catching corps.
As our own Chase Owens points out, the difference between Baldwin's 160 wRC+ and the Braves three replacement catchers is essentially a Yordan Alvarez-sized drop off. Thankfully, it looks like the Braves won't have to tolerate that level of production for much longer.
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