Atlanta’s front office is scrambling. Ahead of Tuesday’s clash in Pittsburgh, the Braves shuffled the deck, sending right-hander Owen Murphy down to Triple-A Gwinnett. They also selected lefty Connor Thomas, cut ties with Daysbel Hernández, recalled James Karinchak, and put Tyler Kinley on the paternity list.
Murphy had a rough go of it. The 22-year-old debuted Monday night in a brutal extra-inning jam against the Mets. He lasted one inning. He gave up the winning runs. Welcome to the show, kid.
The rest of the moves are pure survival tactics. The bullpen is gassed. This is the final road trip before the All-Star break, and everyone is feeling it. Thomas offers a fresh left-handed option. Karinchak is back from his minor-league exile to eat up innings while Kinley awaits fatherhood.
It didn’t help much on Tuesday. Hurston Waldrep got absolutely shelled, and the Pirates handed Atlanta a humiliating 12-4 thrashing. On the bright side, Ronald Acuña Jr. is reportedly close to a rehab assignment. We might see him on the field by next week.
Elsewhere in baseball, the Twins put Byron Buxton on the 10-day IL with a right hip strain. He’s out of the All-Star Game. Meanwhile, Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin is sidelined for two months with a torn hand tendon.
Oh, and Rowdy Tellez is back. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta.
