Labor Day weekend got off to a great start on Friday for the Atlanta Braves after the team handily beat the Phillies by the score of 5-2. Chris Sale was awesome (more on him in a minute), Ronald Acuña Jr. continued his resurgence, and Mauricio Dubon broke the game open late with a two-run bomb. In short, things couldn't have gone much better. The Braves have six chances to get one more win over the Phillies this year to secure the season series and thus win the tiebreaker, which COULD be important.
That wasn't all that has gone on with the Braves, though. With the final 21 games of the 2026 regular season on deck before getting into the postseason, here is a look at some of the latest Braves news you may have missed while being excited at the sight of the Phillies' sorrow.
Robert Suarez set to throw another bullpen after successful first session
In all honesty, the Braves have a lot riding on Robert Suarez's return from the injured list with an elbow issue. Raisel Iglesias has been heavily used and has shown signs of fatigue, Dylan Lee may be tipping his pitches, and Didier Fuentes can't pitch every night. Thankfully, Suarez's recovery is seemingly trending in the right direction.
In comments to the media, Braves manager Walt Weiss revealed that Suarez's critical first bullpen session last week went well and he will throw another on Monday. Assuming there are no issues there, we could see Suarez go out on a rehab assignment quickly so that he can potentially return to the Braves' bullpen before the regular season ends.
Robert Suarez will throw a 25-pitch bullpen on Monday. His elbow wasn’t a problem as he completed a bullpen earlier this week. Still a shot for him to return before the regular season ends
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 4, 2026
Reynaldo Lopez to be activated by the Braves next week
One pitcher that is often overlooked in figuring out the Braves' potential plans is Reynaldo Lopez, who hasn't pitched in MLB since the end of July due to inflammation in his knee. However, updates on Lopez's status have been coming hot and fast for the last couple of weeks as he has made progress.
According to reports, the Braves' plan is to activate Lopez sometime next week after his last rehab start saw him both pitch well and throw a normal starter's workload. Given the Braves' schedule and how their rotation currently lines up, it seems likely that Lopez will be activated during Atlanta's series against the Rays.
Chris Sale's Cy Young candidacy is getting much stronger with his second-half dominance for Braves
Sale has pitched well enough to win a Cy Young in most years, but had only been a fringe candidate for most of the season because of how ridiculous the Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski and the Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez had been. However, the race seems to be shifting, and Sale's chances have seen an uptick.
Chris Sale's 6th and 7th Ks thru 6 pic.twitter.com/kmcSToBfBx
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 5, 2026
While Misiorowski is still the favorite, Sale seems like the clear and rising second-best option after outdueling Sanchez on Friday. The odds currently agree with that assessment, and a quick look at the numbers bolsters his case. Moreover, Misiorowski has been showing signs of fading lately, and his last start was not good. If Miz keeps slipping in September and Sale continues to shove, don't be surprised if the Braves' ace swoops in and secures his second Cy Young.
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