There is no denying reality at this point: the Atlanta Braves are in trouble right now. While they had built up a bit of a cushion in the NL wild card race in the first half, the sheer number of injuries they are dealing with to key players has really taken it's toll of late and the offense has been unwatchable for a while now.
One of nicer bit of news lately was that Michael Harris II seemed to be making progress in rehabbing his hamstring injury which Harris suffered in the middle of June. While the Braves are taking their time with Harris to make sure he heals properly, it was reported that he has been running even though he has not progressed to full speed sprints just yet. Once he can run full out, that is basically the final hurdle he needs to pass before he goes out on a rehab assignment.
However, the Braves made a series of roster moves on Wednesday that got Atlanta fans very much in their feelings, but actually make sense once you understand how the injured list works and Harris' realistic timeline.
The #Braves have appointed RHP Daysbel Hernández as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader. Additionally, Atlanta selected LHP Zach Logue to the major league roster after optioning RHP Allan Winans to Triple-A Gwinnett following Game 1. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club…
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 24, 2024
Braves News: Atlanta added Daysbel Hernandez for doubleheader, called up Zach Logue, and shifted Michael Harris II to the 60 day IL
Okay, we will get the easy bits out of the way first. Allan Winans pitched the first half of the doubleheader on Wednesday and stunk it up, so he is headed back to the minors. Zach Logue is a swing-man type arm who boasts a 2.93 ERA in the minors this year that can throw multiple innings which could be helpful since Winans got shelled earlier in the day. That the second game of the doubleheader was postponed doesn't really change the decision calculus much with this move.
Tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds has been postponed due to forecasted inclement weather. This game has been rescheduled for Monday, September 9th. A start time for the game will be announced at a future date. All tickets for tonight's game will be honored on September…
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 24, 2024
With Hernandez being a reliever fans are familiar with and makes sense as more bullpen depth to get through the second half of the now postponed twin bill, the only part of these moves that fans seem to be hung up on is that Harris was shifted to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40 man roster for Logue. However, doing some basic math should put their minds at ease.
Shifting a player to the 60-day IL doesn't mean he is ineligible to return until 60 days after that roster move. The original date Harris was placed on the injured list (June 15) is still what matters in terms of being eligible to return. Given that Harris still hasn't progressed to full sprints yet, the middle of August was already a reasonable guess for when he could return anyways, so moving him to the 60-day IL doesn't actually change all that much beyond removing hope of a miraculous recovery.
That said, the rigidity of that IL designation does place a greater onus on the front office to make sure they add some outfield depth at the trade deadline to cover things in the short-term. Fortunately, they have known that they needed to do that for a while now.