The Atlanta Braves have handled business against the Astros this weekend. Even if Sunday's series finale doesn't go their way, any Braves win or Phillies loss the rest of the season would clinch the NL East for the Braves, and that is a great place to be at this point in the calendar.
Most of the talk around the Braves and the league in general is currently on various playoff scenarios and rightly so. However, there has been some news with the Atlanta professional baseball club which has trickled out in recent days, and one could easily miss it if you weren't paying attention. Thankfully, we have you covered.
Ronald Acuña Jr. recently widened his stance, and now he is one of the hottest hitters heading into the playoffs
2026 has been a trying season for Ronald Acuña Jr., as he has dealt with multiple hamstring injuries as well as the mental hurdles following multiple major knee injuries. For most of the season, Acuña Jr. has not been close to being the same caliber of player that he once was. Well, that WAS true until one recent adjustment seemingly unlocked the former MVP.
A report from Braves beat writer Mark Bowman from over the weekend revealed that Acuña Jr. recently widened his batting stance to improve his performance against opposing fastballs. It took a little while for him to get used to it, but once he did, Acuña Jr. was off to the races. In his 17 games in September, Acuña Jr. boasts a .343/.382/.714 stat line with seven homers and 19 RBI. In short, Acuña Jr. is back for now, and timing for the Braves is absolutely perfect.
Grant Holmes solidifying playoff role thanks to slight change to his delivery and preparation
Grant Holmes seemed destined for the bullpen at one point this season after struggling to perform beyond the first time through the order. Some wondered if his elbow injury from late last season remained a problem, and his heavy fastball usage made him pretty predictable. However, Holmes seems to have found another gear.
According to Holmes, he reduced his bullpens between starts to keep himself fresher, and he also made some tweaks to his delivery to be more upright and use his legs more efficiently. The end result has been a version of Holmes that has somehow increased the power in his fastballs late in the season, and that he has been able to hold those gains later into games. The end result? Over Holmes' last six starts, he boasts a 2.10 ERA and 3.63 FIP, and the Braves are 4-2 in those starts. He can still be a bit of an adventure, and 17 strikeouts in his last 30 innings isn't great, but Holmes is definitely trending in the right direction.
Braves honor Bill Lucas on the 50th anniversary of being named the first African-American general manager
While he doesn't get the same level of recognition that Jackie Robinson does (and rightly so), Bill Lucas was quite the pioneer in his own right. In 1976, Lucas was named the first African-American general manager ever in the AL or NL. Unfortunately, Lucas passed away suddenly just a few years later, but his impact on the Braves organization was profound, and the Braves honored him on the 50th anniversary of his hiring.
In recognition of his immense contributions to the Atlanta Braves organization, Lucas was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2006. His legacy continues through initiatives like the Bill Lucas Fellowship, aimed at increasing diversity and providing career opportunities in… pic.twitter.com/NXojxs6bic
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 19, 2026
In addition to breaking the color barrier, Lucas oversaw the early stages of what was a pretty successful Braves rebuild during his time at the helm under owner Ted Turner. Lucas was instrumental in assembling a talent pipeline that included future Braves legend Dale Murphy, and he was also the guy who decided to hire Yankees first-base coach Bobby Cox to manage the team. Both of those decisions seem to have worked out quite well.
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