There have been a lot of lows for the Atlanta Braves this season, but the hits keep on coming. Atlanta began their final road trip of the first half on Monday in Sacramento against the A's. It started with a bad omen as Ronald Acuña Jr. was a late scratch from the lineup with lower back tightness. It was all downhill from there.
The A's play at one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball, and their starting rotation sports the fourth-worst ERA in baseball. So, fans were prepared for a slugfest on Monday evening. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as anyone had hoped.
Didier Fuentes was thrust into a whirlwind when Chris Sale was placed on the IL with fractured ribs. The 20-year-old had been impressive in the minors, but that success has not translated at the big league level. It's been extremely hard to watch.
Didier Fuentes' horrific start in Braves' loss to A's leads to overdue demotion
Those struggles against MLB hitters continued against the A's, as he was only able to complete one inning. The Athletics hit three home runs in the first inning against Fuentes, and when it was all said and done, Fuentes' final line was 1 IP, 5 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.
Atlanta would go on to lose this game 10-1 as the offense failed to get anything going. Fuentes has allowed 20 runs over 13 innings (four starts) this season with six walks and 12 strikeouts. He's struggled to command his pitches, but that's largely expected for an inexperienced pitcher.
Unfortunately for him and the Braves, they don't have the luxury to let him learn on the job. His putrid performance doomed him, and Atlanta is expected to option Fuentes to the minors. Braves insider Mark Bowman reported after Monday's loss that manager Brian Snitker informed everyone of Fuentes' impending demotion.
Snit confirmed Fuentes will be sent down. Finally
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 9, 2025
It's surprising it took this long for him to be optioned back to the minors because it's been pretty clear he's not ready. Yes, Atlanta needed someone to step up, but expecting an extremely young kid to be MLB-ready is a tall task. It could kill every ounce of confidence he had built until this point.
He clearly isn't ready to face big league hitters, and the Braves will have to hope someone else can do a better job. The problem is, after Spencer Strider and Grant Holmes, the rotation is extremely suspect. There's no one that you can look to in the minors to fill the voids of Sale, Schwellenbach, and Smith-Shawver.
The front office needs to turn to the trade market and get an experienced arm to eat innings. However, if the offense doesn't improve quickly, the Braves could be looking to sell at the deadline. At that point, Atlanta may be better off letting someone like Hurston Waldrep get big league reps the rest of the season.