Atlanta Braves news and notes from Wednesday
Drake Baldwin has lived up to the hype, even in a limited role as a rookie. He’s only had 65 plate appearances, so we are still very early, but after a great night Wednesday, he boasts a 122 wRC+ and his plate appearances have been of an impressive quality for a young player (or any player). His defense against baserunners hasn’t been great so far, although it’s fair to attribute some of that to Atlanta’s pitching approach, but he has graded well at framing so far and has certainly not looked out of place catching major league pitching. It is a bit unfortunate for Drake that he is stuck behind Sean Murphy in a true backup role, with limited playing time, but he absolutely looks the part of a high end major league catcher so far and does give the Braves a really good option to pinch-hit as a lefty off the bench when Murphy is starting.
Braves News
Spencer Strider has thrown a bullpen, as he eyes a return from his hamstring injury.
The Braves’ comeback attempt came up just short, as they lost the game they seemed most likely to lose coming into this four game series, 4-3.
MLB News
Kris Bryant is hitting the IL for what the Rockies home is only a short absence for a “minimally invasive” back surgery.
The Dodgers placed Evan Phillips on the IL with forearm discomfort and will have to hope that the concerning diagnosis doesn’t turn into anything more than just discomfort.
Former Brave William Contreras has been playing through a fractured finger on his catching hand and will continue to do so.