Everything continues to go according to plan for the Atlanta Braves in 2026 (well, mostly). Despite some ongoing concerns with the bullpen, the Braves made it through a hellish part of their schedule with series wins over the Dodgers, Cubs, and Red Sox. It is hard to get upset at that at all. Next up are the Marlins, who, while they are five games under .500, are a bit sneaky and would love nothing more than to knock the Braves off their current perch.
As for what else has been going on with the Braves over the last week or so, here is a quick rundown of some stories you may have missed.
Braves' rotation plans weren't completely destroyed after all
When Martin Perez came into Saturday's loss to the Red Sox, there was some concern. Initially, the plan was for Perez to start on Monday against Miami, but that seemed to be extremely unlikely to happen after he came out of the bullpen with the rest of Atlanta's relievers in need of a break.
Thankfully, it looks like the impact on the Braves' rotation plans will end up being very minimal. JR Ritchie's start is simply getting moved up to Monday, and Perez will slot in on Tuesday. After that, it looks like business as usual.
Martin Perez’s appearance last night simply moved his start day from Monday to Tuesday.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 17, 2026
At Marlins:
Ritchie (Mon)
Perez (Tues)
Sale (Wed)
Strider (Thurs)
Braves News: Prospect Eric Hartman continues to get a lot of attention down at Rome
The easy prospect name to point out when asking about 2026's most pleasant surprises for Braves fans is, without question, Eric Hartman. After being a relatively unassuming hitting prospect who had a pretty unremarkable 2025 season, Hartman has exploded this year with a .317/.400/.662 line with 12 homers in 35 games.
Prospect diehards have had Hartman on their radars for several weeks now, but the national publications are starting to take notice. On Monday, Braves beat writer Mark Bowman added his name to the growing chorus of praise for Hartman. Not only did he say that Hartman is set to rank much higher once the next Braves prospect rankings come out, but he also said that Hartman is "ruling Rome much like Julius Caesar once did."
Braves News: Atlanta finally given the respect they deserve in the latest MLB power rankings
It was beginning to feel like the various MLB power rankers cared about every other hot streak except the Braves' start to the season. Don't get us wrong, the Braves have been ranking highly for a while. However, even after the Braves beat the Dodgers convincingly, many just had the Cubs leapfrog Atlanta into the top spot anyway.
Well, the arguments to keep the Braves out of the top spot went out the window this week. After also beating the Chicago Cubs to settle that debate (for now), MLB.com has the Braves in the top spot in their power rankings this week. While MLB power rankings in May don't mean all that much, it does seem very clear that Atlanta has been the league's best team over the first quarter of the season or so.
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