4 Braves players who won't finish the month of August on the big league roster

The Atlanta Braves have been in a constant state of a roster shuffle this season as injuries have run rampant. That shuffle was further complicated as Reynaldo Lopez hit the injured list on Monday with right forearm inflammation.

Atlanta’s depth has helped them weather the storm with the many injuries suffered this season. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as the Braves have inched closer to having key pieces back.  

Michael Harris II is eligible to return from the IL on August 14th and Ozzie Albies is slated for return early September. This leaves the team with important roster questions and will end with a few players being left off the 26-man roster. 

Atlanta is desperately awaiting the return of two of their most talented position players as they push for the playoffs over the final two months. They sit 5.5 games behind the first-place Phillies and are clinging to the first spot in a tight NL Wild Card race. With all of that in mind, we will take a look at four Atlanta Braves players who may not make it through August barring any other injuries.

Luke Williams

Infielder Luke Williams has been up and down with the Braves a few times in 2024 but he's not seen a lot of action. He was called up most recently on July 23rd when Austin Riley was placed on the paternity list and stayed with the team upon Riley's return. Since being added to the roster, he's only appeared in two games.

Williams is one of the easiest choices to remove from the roster at the end of the month. He has one MiLB option remaining and isn't an integral piece to the bench. He has a line of .077/.200/.077 over 15 plate appearances. Atlanta's addition of Whit Merrifield makes Williams expendable as well so he could be the first player we see exit the roster this month.

Luke Jackson

Jackson was recently acquired by the Braves in a trade that included 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler. He and Soler were sent to Atlanta by the Giants in exchange for LHP Tyler Matzek and 3B prospect Sabin Ceballos. Luke wasn't really needed on the roster but pitching depth is always welcome. His performance to start the season was rough as his 5.08 ERA indicates but July was encouraging and gave the Braves a reason to snag him

Luke's statcast profile shows why the team values him with a 51.8% ground ball rate and 32.7% chase rate which are both in the 88th percentile in baseball. He struggled early in his most recent outing for Atlanta as he was the victim of a three-run homer that somehow stayed fair. He persevered and provided 3.2 innings of work with one walk and five strikeouts. However, his other metrics are putrid and could lead the Braves to leave him off the roster if his struggles with inherited runners continue.