The Braves will finish the first half of the season out west with series against the Diamondbacks and Padres.
Prior to tonight’s game in Arizona, the team announced a number of roster changes.
The #Braves today recalled RH Bryce Elder to Atlanta and he will start tonight’s game at Arizona. The club also selected OF Eddie Rosario to the major league roster, and optioned LH Dylan Lee and OF Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta…
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 8, 2024
Chris Sale was supposed to start, but as they have for most of the season, the Braves are returning to a six-man rotation to give their top pitchers as much rest as possible.
There is significant disagreement over whether the Braves should return to a five-man rotation indefinitely, considering that they are trailing in the division and must put their best foot forward if they are to catch the Phillies. However, keeping Max Fried, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Charlie Morton, and even rookie Spencer Schwellenbach healthy should be priority number one.
As predicted, the Braves will also bring back Eddie Rosario, who signed a minor-league contract with the team last week and spent the weekend in Gwinnett, where he homered and tripled in three games. Rosario is unlikely to be the Braves’ saving grace, as he was in 2021, but they are need for outfield help. If he can merely deliver ordinary play until the trade deadline, the deal will be valuable.
Dylan Lee and Luke Williams were optioned to Gwinnett to make room on the team’s 26-man roster for Elder and Rosario. Lee’s injury is somewhat surprising given how outstanding he has been this season, with a 2.00 ERA in 28 games. However, because he has options, he is the most probable candidate to join the Stripers and could get some much-needed rest heading into the second half of the season.
