This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Perez is expected to be available in relief for Tuesday's game against the Athletics with Jose Suarez being named Atlanta's starter, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
After Atlanta selected Perez's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, the veteran lefty appeared to be the most likely candidate to fill the vacant fifth spot in the rotation. Instead, manager Walt Weiss will call upon Suarez to step into the open rotation spot, after Suarez wasn't needed out of the bullpen in Atlanta's first four games of the season. Perez will instead serve as a long-relief option in place of Didier Fuentes, who was optioned to Gwinnett on Monday after working four innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's loss to Kansas City.
Braves' Mauricio Dubon: Drives in three runs in win
Rotowire
Dubon went 3-for-4 with three RBI in Monday's 4-0 win over the Athletics.
Dubon drove in a pair with a single in the first inning and added a third RBI on another single in the eighth to stretch Atlanta's lead to 4-0. With Ha-Seong Kim (finger) on the injured list, Dubon has started three of the first four games of the season at shortstop and is 4-for-10 at the plate with a team-leading five RBI.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Ronald Acuna: Reaches base four times in win
Rotowire
Acuna went 2-for-2 with one double, one run scored and two walks in Monday's 4-0 win over the Athletics.
After going just 1-for-12 at the plate with zero extra-base hits and a 1:3 BB:K in Atlanta's opening series against the Royals, it was a nice rebound game for Acuna, who reached base four times and logged his first extra-base hit of the 2026 season. Acuna is slashing .214/.353/.286 across 18 plate appearances through four contests.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Bryce Elder: Fires six scoreless in victory
Rotowire
Elder (1-0) picked up the win Monday against the Athletics, allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out five across six scoreless innings.
With all of the injuries in the Atlanta rotation, Elder opened the season in the starting five and breezed his way through his first outing of the 2026 campaign. He needed just 83 pitches to get through six frames and surrendered only one extra-base hit. Elder's next start should come Sunday against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
Suarez will start Tuesday's game against the Athletics, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Suarez will see his first action of the 2026 season Tuesday, and depending on how the outing goes, he could remain in the rotation as Atlanta's fifth starter until Spencer Strider (oblique) returns from the injured list. Suarez made one start a season ago with Atlanta and allowed two runs over seven innings and struck out nine in a victory over the Nationals.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Sean Murphy: Could play in rehab games this week
Rotowire
Murphy (hip) could begin a rehab assignment with High-A Rome later this week, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
Murphy has rejoined Atlanta to continue rehabbing from hip surgery. He will work out with the big club early this week before participating in a simulated game with Rome on Wednesday. Murphy has not played in a game setting in nearly seven months, so he will need more than just a few rehab contests before being activated from the 10-day injured list. The 31-year-old could be ready for his season debut around the beginning of May.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Spencer Strider: No timetable for rehab start
Rotowire
Strider (oblique) will travel with Atlanta on its road trip, but he remains without a timetable to begin a rehab assignment, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Strider is expected to throw a live batting practice session at some point during the team's road trip that runs from April 2 through 8, and Atlanta will have a better idea at that point when the right-hander will be ready to pitch in a game. The right-hander is eligible for activation from the 15-day injured list April 6, and while he won't be ready to return by that date, it might not be much later than that.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Drake Baldwin: Supplies only offense in loss
Rotowire
Baldwin went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Royals.
The second-year backstop took John Schreiber deep in the eighth inning to ruin a combined shutout for Kansas City. Baldwin has started all three of Atlanta's game so far, two at catcher and one at DH, while going 3-for-11 with two solo shots, a third run scored and a 2:2 BB:K.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Spencer Strider: Injury not viewed as serious
Rotowire
Strider (oblique) may not miss much more than the minimum amount of time, Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com reports.
During an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sunday, Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos described Strider's oblique strain as "mild", and not as bad as the issue that cost Sean Murphy the first two months of 2024. "I think it will be sooner rather than later that you see [Strider] back," Anthopoulos said. The right-hander is first eligible to come off the IL on April 6, but it's not yet clear if he'll be ready by then. Strider himself missed about a month of action late in 2022 with an oblique issue.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Martin Perez: Likely to start Tuesday's game
Rotowire
Atlanta selected Perez's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.
The veteran left-hander is a good bet to start Tuesday's game against the Athletics, though Jose Suarez is also an option. Perez put together a nice Grapefruit League showing with a 2.84 ERA and 10:3 K:BB over 12.2 innings. He could hold down a spot in Atlanta's rotation until Spencer Strider (oblique) is ready to go.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Didier Fuentes: Sent down to minors
Rotowire
Atlanta optioned Fuentes to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.
Fuentes wasn't going to be available to pitch for a few days after allowing one earned run over four relief innings in Sunday's loss to the Royals. He will enter the Gwinnett rotation so he can stay stretched out and could get an opportunity to start some games with Atlanta sooner rather than later. Martin Perez is taking Fuentes' spot on the active roster and could start Tuesday at home against the Athletics.
Fuentes struck out four and allowed one earned run on two hits and one walk across four innings of relief in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Royals.
Following an outstanding spring training in which he turned in a 0.66 ERA, 0.22 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB across 13.2 innings, Fuentes was able to clinch a spot on the Opening Day roster. Though Atlanta has an opening in its rotation while Spencer Strider (oblique) is on the mend, Fuentes looks like he'll have to settle for a multi-inning relief role early on. In his season debut Sunday, the young right-hander ended up piggybacking starter Grant Holmes. With only four swinging strikes on 56 pitches, Fuentes didn't look as dominant as he had been in the Grapefruit League, but he pounded the zone and was able to limit hard contact. Jose Suarez or Martin Perez would appear to be the leading candidates to get the ball when a fifth starter is first needed Tuesday against the Athletics, but Fuentes has done his part to earn a look in the rotation later this season.
... See More... See Less
Braves' Grant Holmes: Falls to Kansas City
Rotowire
Holmes (0-1) took the loss Sunday against the Royals, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four.
Holmes set down the first six batters he faced Sunday before giving up a run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings in an eventual 4-1 defeat. The right-hander was stellar in spring training, allowing just two runs in 17.2 innings. Holmes made 21 starts for Atlanta in 2025, posting a 3.99 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP and 123:54 K:BB across 115 innings.
Dubon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Dubon started at shortstop in the first two games of the season and has gone 1-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI. Jorge Mateo will take over at shortstop for the series finale, batting ninth.
10:07
9:29
1:08
1:41
7:25
11:22
1:10
10:19
8:27
9:07
10:43
0:26
1:39
8:48
1:35
1:06
9:43
0:40
9:04
1:47
