It's been no secret that the Atlanta Braves are likely trading designated hitter Marcell Ozuna at the trade deadline. Between the DH's expiring contract, declining play, and the club's desire to get both catchers in the lineup on a regular basis, it seems like a no-brainer the 34-year-old will be wearing another uniform by the weekend.
While the expectation is that Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy will continue sharing the DH once Ozuna is moved, assuming one of the catchers isn't traded, freeing up the DH slot could also benefit superstar slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. once he returns from his calf strain.
Why Ronald Acuña Jr. could benefit from a Marcell Ozuna trade
Even after the Braves decided to have Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin split time at DH, they haven't started 100% of the games at DH. In fact, the longest consectutive string of starts the catchers have had is four games.
Part of the reason is that Brian Snitker stated he did not want Marcell Ozuna to rot on the bench. However, another reason is simply that the catchers need more rest than their DH days can give them.
Even Cal Raleigh, who has played a whopping 103 of the Mariners 107 games, DHing nearly every game he isn't behind the plate, has needed the occasional day off.
The Braves, who are all but out of a playoff spot, don't need to push their catchers to the brink. Ozuna has still started five of the of the 14 games since Brian Snitker began putting Baldwin and Murphy in the lineup together. Whether they'll want to give their catchers a full day off once a week or, once every other week, or somewhere in-between, the Braves will need someone else to DH.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has been excellent since returning from his ACL injury, but the Braves had still been cautious with the right fielder before inexplicably letting him play when his calf was bothering him. After starting 34 consecutive games from the end of May through the beginning of July, the Braves had been far more conservative with the 27-year-old, giving him three days off in the month of July.
Part of that might be because of the club fading from contention, but it might also be because of the long season started to take its toll on Acuña. In the month of July, the 2025 All-Star has "cooled" to a .227/.348/.507 slash line (135 wRC+). With the DH occupied, the Braves hadn't given Acuña the benefit of a partial rest day, and if Acuña needed a break, the team was forced to give him a full day out of the lineup.
However with Ozuna out of the picture, the Braves would be able to give Acuña (and any of the other starters for that matter), a start at DH to give his legs a rest once he is hopefully activated from the IL. Instead of waiting for the days where the right fielder looks like he's dragging, Atlanta could be more proactive with when they use him at DH and, hopefully, give him the lion's share of starts at DH the rest of the season with Ozuna out of the picture.
At this point in the season, the Braves priority should be getting their best players as much playing time as possible without sacrificing their health. By making sure Acuña is fresh and healthy (hopefully), the Braves can keep his electric 2025 going and have him healthy and dialed in for 2026.