The Atlanta Braves are finally back on the right track after a depressing month of June. Atlanta is thriving offensively, and the pitching, while not as sharp, is still doing their job for the most part.
Luckily, the trade deadline is getting closer, and they should be able to fortify the team soon. They'll also add Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim back in the next couple of weeks. Despite that good news, the Braves were hit with an unfortunate update on Monday with one of their young arms.
Hurston Waldrep being removed from most recent start doesn't bode well for Braves
Waldrep already missed the majority of the first half recovering from elbow surgery. He was called up briefly to Atlanta this season after healing, but it didn't go well. He has an 8.44 ERA, 10 walks, and nine strikeouts over 10.2 MLB innings.
The righty has been much better in the minors with a 2.95 ERA over three levels. However, his Triple-A ERA is at 0.84 over 10.2 innings with eight walks and eight strikeouts. There's a clear issue with walks, but not a bad showing otherwise.
Hurston Waldrep’s velo was down and he was removed after 36 pitches while pitching for Gwinnett yesterday. He’ll be further evaluated. Weiss said it’s concerning any time a pitcher has to be removed. Waldrep had arthroscopic elbow surgery in February
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 20, 2026
Unfortunately, he was removed early from his most recent start after just 36 pitches for Gwinnett. His velocity was noticeably down, and Walt Weiss told reporters that Waldrep "wasn't feeling right" during his start. That's certainly not what anyone wants to hear from a pitcher. It's the last thing Atlanta needs with their starting pitching struggles this season.
Drake Baldwin made MLB history during recent series against the Rangers
Baldwin's offensive struggles seem to be over after he absolutely obliterated the Rangers pitching staff last weekend. Atlanta's catcher was 10-for-14 in the series with three homers and eight RBI. However, as impressive as this is, he also made some history in the process.
#Braves Drake Baldwin is the only catcher since at least 1898 to record 5 hits, 2 homers and a stolen base in the same game. It's happened just 21 times by any player in a single MLB game over the last 128 years. https://t.co/wG7JEYfo3A
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) July 20, 2026
Braves insider Grant McAuley shared that Baldwin is the first catcher since at least 1898 to record five hits, two homers, and a stolen base in the same game. Ozzie Albies is the only other Braves player to do this in franchise history. He completed this feat during Sunday's finale against Texas. It's absolutely bonkers and only grows his legend with the Braves.
Braves top prospect Alex Lodise continues to mash in the minors
Lodise has done nothing but impress during the 2026 season. His sudden propensity for hitting home runs has a lot more eyes on the shortstop. He is really taking advantage of his first full season in the minors.
Alex Lodise hits one to Forest Hills Drive! pic.twitter.com/Jw08UBVTsU
— Augusta GreenJackets (@GreenJackets) July 19, 2026
The righty has spent the entire season with Low-A Augusta and has a .255/.338/.473 slash line, with 14 doubles, 19 homers, 55 RBI, and an .811 OPS over 88 games. That's exactly what the team needs to see from him, with their future uncertain at shortstop.
Eventually, he will need to move up to prove he can do this at the higher levels. He'll really need to improve his swing and miss to make it to the bigs, however. Lodise has just 37 walks to his 108 strikeouts so far. That simply will not cut it in the big leagues, so that's something Atlanta will look for him to improve on.
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