Similarly to how it seemed likely that the Braves were going to be without Ronald Acuña Jr. for a bit, it seemed inevitable that Spencer Strider would be put on the longer-term IL eventually once it got out that he’d be shut down for at least a month.
That appears to be the case, as the Braves have gone ahead and moved Strider to the 60-Day IL.
The #Braves today selected RHP Carlos Carrasco to the major league roster and optioned RHP Anthony Molina to Triple-A Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club transferred RHP Spencer Strider to 60-day injured list. Altanta also selected C Jair Camargo to the major…
— Atlanta Braves (Braves) June 17, 2026
So while Strider is being shut down for four weeks, that also meant that even if all went well with his future IL, it would take a while for Strider to ramp up and get back into big league pitching shape, so this is simply a way to open up a roster spot for Carlos Carrasco. I’d say that this could be a sign that Cookie might be staying around for a bit longer but it still wouldn’t be shocking if he had to ride the DFA cycle once more in the near future.

NEW YORK - White Sox starter Davis Martin is a big part of Chicago's first-half success story.
Through 13 starts, the right-hander (9-2, 2.41 ERA) leads the league in wins and in ratio for the fewest home runs (0.3) per nine innings, yielding just three HRs in 78.1 innings.
Martin will be on the mound Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, in the opener of a three-game set between the White Sox and Yankees.
And it'll be Gerrit Cole (1-1, 2.45 ERA), making his fifth start of the year for the Yanks, and coming off a short outing (4 IP, 2 ER) in a no-decision last Tuesday at Cleveland.
Martin went six scoreless innings in his previous start, out-dueling Chris Sale in a 2-1 White Sox's win against the NL East leading Atlanta Braves.

Big wins against top-ranked opponents fuel a rapid White Sox rise originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago White Sox have come out as one of MLB's biggest surprise stories this season. They have already shattered expectations, stringing win after win together.
However, after losing Munetaka Murakami to the IL with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, some were not sure how the team would react. But they haven't lost a step, and that's evident with the monster week they are coming off of.
With a rather unfortunate schedule last week, the White Sox took on two of MLB's top teams: the Atlanta Braves and then a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, which was a real test.
MORE: White Sox insane home streak continues with intense rally past Dodgers

The Cincinnati Reds are back in action on Monday night in Great American Ball Park after dropping Sunday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks. That loss canned the series for them, and they’ve now dropped five straight series overall as their precipitous fall down the NL Central standings continues.
They’ll look to get back on the winning side of things with Chase Burns on the mound, as he’ll fire the first pitch of tonight’s series opener against the New York Mets. Righty Tobias Myers – a reliever by trade – will be the nominal starter for the Mets this evening, though given he’s only topped 36 pitches once all season it will undoubtedly be an early bullpen game for New York.
The Mets come to town fresh off a series victory over the Atlanta Braves, so that’s fun.
First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET this time around, and the game will be televised on Reds.TV and MLB.tv.
Lineups for both clubs are listed below. Go Reds!

Bryce Harper faces surprising All-Star hurdle as voting update puts Phillies star on the outside originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
For most players, putting together another All-Star-caliber season would be enough to secure a trip to the Midsummer Classic. For Bryce Harper, it may not be that simple.
The Philadelphia Phillies star has once again been one of the National League's most productive first basemen in 2026, helping keep the Phillies in the postseason race while continuing to build a Hall of Fame-caliber résumé. Yet with the All-Star Game heading to Philadelphia this summer, Harper suddenly finds himself in an unexpected position: fighting just to advance in fan voting.
Monday's latest voting update delivered disappointing news for Phillies fans hoping to see Harper take center stage at Citizens Bank Park next month.
According to the latest National League voting totals, Harper sits third among first basemen, trailing both Atlanta Braves slugger Matt Olson and Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Freddie Freeman. Freeman leads the position with 870,606 votes, while Olson is second at 802,848. Harper currently sits at 651,792.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz could go on a rehab ******* ignment this weekend if the next couple of days go according to plan.
De La Cruz — who has been sidelined since June 1 due to a right hamstring strain — ran the bases and took some infield grounders before Monday night's game against the New York Mets. He will run the bases again on Tuesday before a final decision is made.
Manager Terry Francona said the likely rehab ******* ignment would be to Triple-A Louisville, which is at Gwinnett this week. The Reds' Single-A affiliate in Dayton is also on the road this week.
“I mean Triple-A is always probably the best because of competition, but trying to work through just what’s the easiest,” Francona said.
De La Cruz left the May 31 game against the Atlanta Braves with right hamstring tightness after he had a base hit in the fifth inning. He had a streak of appearing in 276 consecutive games snapped, the sixth-longest streak for a Reds player in the expansion era (since 1961). His streak began on July 30, 2024.

Braves announce incredible Drake Baldwin news amid All-Star voting results originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Braves are sitting comfortably atop the NL East, with an eight-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies, even while not at full strength.
They lost Spencer Strider recently to an injured list stint, and he's going to miss at least four weeks due to that elbow issue. But, while the Braves are losing one key player, they're getting back another.
Ahead of their series against the San Francisco Giants, the Braves announced that Drake Baldwin, their superstar young catcher, is being activated off the injured list.
"The Braves today returned C Drake Baldwin from his rehabilitation ****** ignment and reinstated him from the injured list, and outrighted C Austin Wynnes to Triple-A Gwinnett," the Braves announced.

Flushing, N.Y.: New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns speaks to the media during the team's pre-opening day workout at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens, March 25, 2026. (Photo by Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves entered the season expecting to face a significant challenge from their division rivals, particularly after the New York Mets revamped their own roster with several star additions.
But instead the Braves have established themselves as the team to beat in the National League East, taking the top spot from a rival that many expected to serve as the frontrunner. And that surprise breakout drew frank praise from a key Mets executive whose own team has struggled to find the same level of consistency.
FORBES | By Peter Chawaga
Giants’ 3-Year Infielder Cut By Hated Rival After Injury Setback
Speaking about the division race during the teams series this week, New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns offered a glowing ***** sment of the rival club that has become one of the National League’s toughest opponents.

Wow.
What an incredible game from the South Siders, who never gave up regardless of how many times their safety squeeze failed to score a run, or how many home runs Matt Olson hit against them (two, by the way). This game had everything: solid pitching, drama, home runs, extra innings, an extended hit streak, and a rookie debut for the ages.
The White Sox (35-31) defeated the best team in MLB, stealing an extra-inning W against the Braves (45-22), 6-5. Braden Montgomery went 2-for-4 in his debut and checked many firsts off the list: first hit, RBI, home run, and walk-off. On top of that, Miguel Vargas flashed his power yet again, Chase Meidroth extended his hit streak from nine to 10, and the South Siders went 4-for-12 (.300) with runners in scoring position. Could have done without the bunts, however.
Because of course, the Good Guys went with their trusty opener, as Brandon Eisert was slated to man the first inning, but he only threw strikes roughly half of the time (11 of 21 pitches), gave up two runs, and forced Erick Fedde to enter the game in the first anyway. Eisert was somehow able to strike out Ronald Acuña Jr. after falling behind in the count, 3-0, to start the game, but a base hit from Michael Harris III began the madness before the lefty ceded a two-run bomb to Matt Olson, making it 2-0, Atlanta. Before Fedde came in, Eisert recorded one more out before putting another pair of runners on base, but Fedde thankfully struck out Austin Riley to end the threat.
Fedde made it through the second (mostly) unscathed, not without hitting Ronald Acuña and instigating some Acuña on Acuña crime, as Ronald was thrown out attempting to steal, tagged out by his brother Luisangel to end the inning — later confirmed by review. Unfortunately, Ronald later left the game with hamstring tightness, and hopefully it’s not a serious injury that sends him to the IL.

The Chicago White Sox entered their Tuesday matchup against the Atlanta Braves with a 34-31 record.
Not bad, but they needed someone to give them a spark, an extra push as they are in a battle with the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central.
On Tuesday, an unlikely hero emerged. His name is Braden Montgomery.
The White Sox called up the 23-year-old outfielder from their Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, just in time to face the Atlanta Braves, the best team in MLB, record-wise.
Montgomery proved that he’s ready for the show. In his major league debut, Montgomery had himself a game to remember. He registered two hits in five at-bats, and accounted for three RBIs. But his moment of glory came when the lights were brightest — Chicago down a run, 5-4, in the 10th inning.

The White Sox have been ******* ertive about calling up their prospects this season. They have had twelve players make their major league debuts this year, and the most recent of them, outfielder Braden Montgomery, ranked 21st overall in MLB’s top 100 prospects, joined the big league club Tuesday night. He introduced himself to the Sox faithful with gusto.
Up to bat in the tenth inning, the Sox trailing the Braves 5-4 and two outs on the board with a runner on third, Montgomery homered just over the White Sox bullpen in left field to give his team a 6-5 win.
“Just how we drew it up,” Montgomery joked. “That was unreal.”
Not just unreal, but rare. Montgomery was only the fifth player in major league history to hit a walk-off home run in his debut. Tuesday night’s homer puts him in a group with Miguel Cabrera.
“It’s history for me. It’s going to be well remembered forever,” Montgomery said. “Any time you are in a sentence with Miguel Cabrera, you are probably in pretty good conversation.”

CHICAGO — Before his major league debut Tuesday night at Rate Field, Chicago White Sox right fielder Braden Montgomery was discussing his inner confidence.
“If you see yourself succeeding, if you can understand what that will be like, then you’ve got a better chance,” he said. “And that’s what you focus on.”
Montgomery succeeded in dramatic fashion, hitting a two-out, two-run, opposite-field home run to give the Sox a crazy 6-5, 10-inning win over the Atlanta Braves.
After receiving a standing ovation from Sox fans before his first at-bat and after his first hit, he turned the ballpark upside down with one swing against Braves closer Rafael Iglesias.
The ball hit the top of the left-field wall and bounced over, as the Sox players poured out of the dugout for a wild celebration and fans whipped out their phones to record the moment.

The Atlanta Braves suffered another blow on the injury front, and yet again, Ronald Acuña Jr. is the subject. Acuña exited Tuesday night in the fourth inning after limping on his way to first base.
The club later reported that he exited the contest with hamstring tightness. Best case scenario for Atlanta is that he is considered day-to-day; however, this is the same hamstring he strained earlier this season.
The bad news doesn’t end there, as the Braves went on to suffer an extra-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox, 6-5.
Hurston Waldrep is set to make a rehab start for the Columbus Clingstones on Thursday. He made two appearances in the Florida Complex League last week.
Despite two losses in the Braves’ system, Monday brought exciting games from a couple of prospects. More in the minor league recap.

Both the Pittsburgh Pirates (34-32) and Los Angeles Dodgers (42-24) had a day off before the two set sail for a three-game series at PNC Park. The headliner in the series opener, Paul Skenes' arm versus Shohei Ohtani's bat, naturally.
The Dodgers are coming off a 13-5 loss to the Angels in their previous game, but won the series 2-1. Los Angeles traveled across the country on their off day for their second trip to the Eastern Time Zone this season. Los Angeles went 5-1 with a sweep over Washington and two out of three against Toronto. Over the last seven days, Ohtani is hitting .480 and in the past 30 days, he's still batting an absurd .374.
Pittsburgh has lost four straight starts with Skenes on the mound and they are 5-7 in his 12 starts. Skenes has a 4.18 ERA over his last five starts and an opponent batting average of .252. the Pirates enter this matchup with three straight losses all coming to the Braves. That series marked the third time being swept this season for the Buccos. The Pirates have won three straight versus the Dodgers and took four out of six last season.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and ****** ysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 23: Chadwick Tromp #48 of the Atlanta Braves takes the field before the game against the Houston Astros at Truist Park on April 23, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves have spent much of the 2026 season scrambling to patch together their catching situation as they hold onto a leading position in the National League pennant race.
Injuries and roster turnover have forced the club to rely on several veteran options while waiting for key contributors like Drake Baldwin to return. And that drove another notable change behind the plate last week.
FORBES | By Peter Chawaga
Phillies’ 3-Year Slugger Cut From Roster After Short Stint With New Team
The Braves recently designated Chadwick Tromp for **** ignment as the organization reshaped its catching depth chart. The decision came shortly after Atlanta added veteran catcher Austin Wynns in a transaction with the Athletics, while continuing to wait for Baldwin to recover from an oblique injury.

Sunday was an extra fun day for the Braves. Heroics from Michael Harris II played a huge part in the Braves 3-2 victory very over the Pirates. This resulted in a sweep of the Pirates, which is notable as the Pirates look to be a playoff contender. Timely hitting and excellent bullpen work continue to be major keys to success for the Braves, who also continue to show they can get the job done no matter the quality of opponent they face.
Harris II said the home crowd gave him the energy to deliver his big moment.
Didier Fuentes was asked to get the save on Sunday and he got the job done.
More on the many Braves prospects who performed well over the weekend. This includes many Braves who earned deserved promotions due to their excellent play to start the season.
Tarik Skubal looked good in his first rehab start.

For the first six innings, the Atlanta Braves were looking like they were going to be denied another sweep as the Pirates did just enough to Bryce Elder to salvage a win. But a huge theme of this season is how this team continues to find different ways to win from different contributors, and the stars of this one? 1) Someone who was NOT in the starting lineup 2) bullpen arms coming up absolutely huge in high-leverage situations who aren't our usual 7-8-9.
Elder grinded through six innings of two-run ball after being greeted rudely by a leadoff homer by Spencer Horowitz to start the afternoon. He only gave up the two hits, but Elder matched a season-high in three-ball counts and some walks came back to bite him in the third. Two walks and a pesky infield single loaded the bases with no outs. Nick Gonzales's double play minimized the damange, but it did allow Jared Triolo to score and make it 2-0 Pirates.
And so the score would remain through six innings. The Braves had a promising first inning versus the opener Mason Montgomery with a walk from Mauricio Dubón, a double from Ozzie, and a walk from Dominic Smith to put a Brave on every base. But Austin Riley's late swing on a 99 mph fastball would end the threat.
Scheduled starter Bubba Chandler entered in the second inning for the Pirates with Mike Yastrzemski leading off. The only damage done would be a single from Sandy León (!); the Braves were set down in order in the third, fourth, fifth, AND sixth. For someone known to walk guys and regularly only last five innings, Chandler racked up seven K's from the Braves lineup in his 5.1 innings of work.
But that lack of command reared its head in the bottom of the seventh, teeing up a wild sequence. Please don't forget that all of this is happening with a light but constant little rain shower that would continue until the game concluded. The rally would begin with Dom Smith reaching on a throwing error by rookie Tyler Callihan, giving the Braves their first baserunner since Sandy's single in the second. Yaz finally worked a walk off of Chandler, and then Jorge Mateo saw four straight ****** . The bases were loaded for Sandy León.

ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Harris II hit a three-run double in the seventh inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep Sunday.
Reynaldo López (3-1) earned the win with a scoreless seventh, and Tyler Kinley ended a bases-loaded threat in the eighth when he got Ryan O'Hearn to ground out to first base.
Braves rookie Didier Fuentes stranded two runners in the ninth for his first career save.
Harris came up as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and the Braves trailing 2-0. With light rain falling, he drove the first pitch from Evan Sisk into the right-field corner to clear the bases.
The major league-leading Braves (45-21), limited to three hits, have won eight of 10.

The Braves continue to win and are now 42-20. Not only do they continue to win, but they continue to win without many of their best players available. They have the best record in baseball and should see Drake Baldwin return towards the middle of the month, who was having a down-ballot MVP-caliber season, and should be getting rotation reinforcements back from injury perhaps as soon as July. The potential insertions of Hurston Waldrep, AJ Smith-Shawver, and later Spencer Schwellenbach into the rotation could also free up Grant Holmes to add some strength to the bullpen, rather than providing serviceable rotation depth. Other injuries can always happen, of course, but this team is set up quite well for the coming months.
AJ Smith-Shawver is just behind Hurston Waldrep in his recovery from Tommy John and should start his rehab ****** ignment soon.
Matt Powers previewed the Braves’ intriguing DSL roster down on the farm, with some interesting names especially on the hitting side.
The Braves clinched another series win with a 7-2 win on Wednesday and have a chance for a sweep behind Chris Sale at home on Thursday.
Toronto traded for former top prospect Simeon Woods Richardson, as he has struggled to establish himself as more than a back-end starter in MLB.

Phillies have no choice but to make this trade to replace Andrew Painter originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies haven't been great over their last 10 games, going 5-5 over that stretch. Just a few months ago, the Phillies were one of the worst teams in baseball, and it almost sounds crazy to say, but with the Atlanta Braves going 6-4 over their last 10, the Phillies needed to take a bigger advantage of situations like that.
That hasn't been the case, though it's a bit tough to blame the Phillies because of who they've played, with the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Guardians being their opponents in that span.
Regardless, because the Phillies have played much better in May than they did for much of the beginning of the year, now sitting at 30-29, many are starting to believe that a trade will have to happen for this team to get to the next level and make the postseason.
There are going to be multiple starters available, and it sounds like replacing youngster Andrew Painter will be at the top of the priority list.

Blue Jays 3 Braves 4
That wasn’t Kevin Gausman’s best game. 6 innings, 5 hits, 4 earned, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts and a home run. Of course, when you get 18 outs and 8 of them are strikeouts, it seems like it should be a good game. But, he gave up 2 in the first (a walk, a double and a sac fly), 1 in the third (double and a single) and 1 in the sixth (a Matt Olson home run).
Our bullpen put up two scoreless innings.
On offense, we had 9 hits, with a Kazuma Okamoto two-run home run and a Vladimir Guerrero double. You would think we could have scored more than 3 runs.
We got two hits each from Nathan Lukes, Ernie Clement, Yohendrick Piñango and Okamoto. But then there were 0 fors from George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Andrés Giménez and Brandon Valenzuela. Being 0 for 6 with RISP is a recipe for a loss.

Braves predicted to trade JR Ritchie, No. 1 prospect for $32M Cy Young winner to boost rotation originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Braves became the first team to reach 40 wins this season after defeating the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night. Atlanta has accomplished that despite dealing with injuries throughout the year and a starting rotation that still isn’t at full strength.
Before the season, pitchers like Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach underwent elbow surgery. Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos acknowledged before the season that Atlanta needed to add another starter.
“We’ve explored the starting rotation, adding and getting some type of starter, whether that’s a trade or signing. We’d like for it to be someone impactful, someone we think can start a playoff game,” Anthopoulos said.
With two months of the season now in the books, it is becoming clearer which players could be available at the trade deadline. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer believes Atlanta could land Tarik Skubal by dealing away its top prospects.

Braves Minor League Recap: Tate Southisene extends on-base streak to 15 games

Ha-Seong Kim, SS: 2-for-4, R, .500/.500/.500
Nacho Alvarez Jr., 3B: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, .216/.284/.340
Ben Gamel, LF: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, .195/.303/.390
Elieser Hernández, SP: 5.2IP 7H 3ER 2BB 6K, 5.71 ERA
Box Score

https://sports.yahoo.com/a...

Heim drives in 5 runs to help Braves beat Rockies 11-6 in Striders return

DENVER (AP) — Jonah Heim homered, doubled and drove in five runs, Jorge Mateo also hit a home run and the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 11-6 on Sunday.
Spencer Strider made his season debut for the Braves and allowed three runs and four hits in 3 1/3 innings in his return from an oblique injury suffered in spring training. He struck out six and walked five.
Aaron ***** mer (1-1) came on in relief of Strider and gave up two runs in one inning while earning the win.
Atlanta placed star right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. on the 10-day injured list because of a strained left hamstring before the game.
But the Braves were able to get production throughout their lineup Sunday. Austin Riley hit a bases-loaded RBI single, Eli White walked to bring in a run and Matt Olson scored on a sacrifice fly by Heim to cap Atlanta’s three-run fifth that made it 6-4.

https://sports.yahoo.com/a...

3 teamer
Rockies Under 8.5
Giants ML
Braves ML

Padres vs Braves Betting Trends May 24 MLB

Today’s #Dodgers lineup at #Braves :

Game is delayed due to inclement weather.

Postponement of game still in the cards.