Well then, things have certainly escalated quickly this weekend for the Atlanta Braves (and the rest of MLB). Not only did Tarik Skubal go to the Dodgers (gross) late Saturday night, but it seems likely that that move now opens the door to a flurry of trade activity with Skubal off the market. Oh, and the Braves handily beat the Nationals thanks to Martin Perez's heroic start on short notice.
Most of the news cycle around the Braves over the next 48 hours will be focused on the trade deadline and rightfully so. However, that also makes it easy to miss the usual news tidbits that come out that could help shape the decisions in the hours and days ahead. Here is the latest Braves news that you may have missed.
Lane Thomas expected to report to the Braves on Tuesday after trade
The Braves got their trade deadline going right as they were closing out their win over the Nationals after acquiring Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter from the Royals. Falter may or may not factor into Atlanta's immediate plans, but Thomas is likely to slot in as the Braves' default left fielder when they face off against left-handed starters.
That said, it will be a few days before we see Thomas in the Braves’ lineup. According to the team, Thomas will join the Braves on Tuesday so that he can get his affairs in order and Atlanta can figure out their roster situation in the wake of the trade deadline. One can assume that Thomas won't be the only name that the Braves will have to figure out how they want to integrate into their roster.
Ha-Seong Kim activated from the IL, so the clock is now ticking
Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is a polarizing figure, especially with the emergence of Jim Jarvis. Kim is getting paid handsomely this season, but has missed most of the season due to a pretty serious finger injury and did not play well at all when he was on the field.
However, Atlanta faced a deadline to activate Kim from the injured list this weekend, which led to some speculation as to how they would handle his return. The Braves did end up activating Kim, but have yet to make the corresponding roster move to bring him back. You can bet that Alex Anthopoulos is figuring out right now if there are any takers for Kim on the trade market to make their decisions much easier.
Ha-Seong Kim has been reinstated. The Braves have 48 hours to make the move necessary to create a roster spot for him.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 2, 2026
Walt Weiss declined to commit to JR Ritchie starting on Sunday
After Reynaldo Lopez was scratched with a knee injury, the Braves' rotation plans got thrown into disarray. One of the dominoes that fell was that Atlanta pulled JR Ritchie from his start down at Triple-A on Friday so that he could be available to start on Sunday.
However, Braves manager Walt Weiss refused to say for sure that Ritchie would be getting the start, noting that he wasn't sure if Ritchie had progressed deep into his pre-game warm-ups before he was scratched. It is worth mentioning that it's possible Ritchie could be involved in a potential move.
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