Breaking: Braves Pin Their Hopes on the Wrong Player to Save the Season

The Atlanta Braves are getting an all-star caliber bat added to their struggling offense this week but he is far from what Atlanta needs to turn their season around.

Atlanta Braves

This past offseason, the Atlanta Braves signed outfielder Jurickson Profar to give the offense a boost. After playing just four games in a Braves uniform, Profar was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for PEDs.

Profar will return to the Braves this week with the team hanging on to playoff chances by a thread.

On several occasions, manager Brian Snitker has claimed that Atlanta is just searching for consistency and they are hoping Profar will provide that for them.

As Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes, Profar certainly cannot hurt the already struggling Braves offense but he is also far from all of the answers. If Atlanta wants to truly make a run at the postseason, more moves will need to be made.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Braves putting too much faith in Jurickson Profar’s return

Profar has proven that he is ready to return to the big leagues by posting absolutely dominant numbers in Triple-A during his rehab assignment. In 12 games, he has hit .326 with three homers and nine RBIs.

While adding Profar to the big league roster will help Atlanta for the time-being, it also presents some unique challenges.

For one, deciding who will have to be removed from the Braves’ major league roster will not be an easy choice. The outfield consists of Alex Verdugo, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. Most believe Verdugo will be the odd man out but he has been solid since putting on a Braves jersey.

Additionally, if Verdugo is let go and Profar does in fact somehow turn the Braves season around, he cannot participate in the playoffs.

This could potentially create an even bigger issue for Atlanta when it matters most but perhaps the thought process is currently, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Profar does have experience at the shortstop position. The most logical solution in his return to prioritize offense would to move him to shortstop and remove Nick Allen from the everyday lineup.

This move would also be tough to pull the trigger on as Allen has been fantastic defensively all season and has posted respectable numbers for a nine-hole hitter.

Profar’s return creates so many moving parts for the Braves and seems to raise a lot more questions than answers. Where the team currently is, one more bat is not going to fix all of their woes. Starting pitching, relief pitching and another bat will remain areas for improvement in Atlanta through the trade deadline.

Related Posts

Update: Braves Trade Proposal Adds $40 Million Star to Fix Biggest Need

There haven’t been many more teams around Major League Baseball as disappointing as the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are in last place in the American League East…

REPORT: Braves Trade Pitch Grabs $24 Million Ace to Pair With Chris Sale

There wouldn’t be many Atlanta Braves fans who would say that this year has gone as planned. From top to bottom, the Braves simply haven’t been that…

Update: Michael Harris returns to Braves lineup for opener against Angels

Harris sat the past two games as his struggles worsended. Weather permitting*, the Braves will kick off a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday…

Red Sox ѕtock uр, ѕtock down: Gіolіto ѕhіnіng аѕ trаde deаdlіne loomѕ

Whose stock is rising and whose is falling with less than one month until the MLB trade deadline? Here’s who’s hot and who’s not for the Red Sox.

Breаkіng: Alex Bregmаn’ѕ lаteѕt commentѕ hаve Red Sox fаnѕ wrіtіng contrаct extenѕіon іn ѕtone

Alex Bregman’s previous success at Fenway Park had baseball fans everywhere thinking he’d fit right in with the Boston Red Sox. In just 51 games, he’s cemented

Redѕ-Red Sox ѕtаrt tіme: Rаіn delаy uрdаteѕ from Fenwаy Pаrk

After three straight series losses, the Boston Red Sox were thrilled to win a series opener against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. They hoped to do it again on