Braves Rumors: Vaughn Grissom finally gets the call
The Atlanta Braves have promoted Vaughn Grissom after placing Ozzie Albies on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring.
Grissom's reemergence in the Atlanta lineup has been long awaited by fans, as he's been raking in Gwinnett. In 346 MiLB at bats this season, Grissom has a .327 average and .906 OPS. That is well above league average, and suggests that getting his bat in the everyday lineup could do the Braves some good down the stretch.
The 22-year-old could have a tough time receiving playing time, however. Nicky Lopez, who the Braves acquired at the MLB trade deadline, has eight RBIs through his first four games with Atlanta, the most in team history since 1920 in that span.
Lopez is a middle infielder who can play multiple positions. He's just a few years removed from a 6.0 f-WAR campaign, so he's no slouch at the plate when he's on.
As Chris Kline wrote on Monday, Lopez's success naturally led to questions about Grissom's future:
"Lopez will have to return to earth eventually, but he continues to thrive in a Braves uniform. Sometimes, all a player needs is a change of scenery. We've seen it time and time again. Atlanta has furnished Lopez with an opportunity to compete for a World Series. He's taking that opportunity and running with it.
At this rate, Lopez will continue to get reps in relief of Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, and Austin Riley as the need arises. He has locked up the primary backup infielder role, which will naturally lead to questions about Vaughn Grissom's future in the franchise."
The injury to Albies requires some reinforcements. It's unclear if this is just a short-term stint for Grissom, though.
Braves Rumors: Don't call it a comeback for Max Fried
In his last outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, something was off about Max Fried, leaving some to wonder if even the Braves ace was in the midst of a rough patch. Fried returned from injury this month after missing the better part of the season so far with a forearm strain.
On Monday night, he looked a lot like his old self at times, escaping jams against a Yankees lineup that, while underachieving, still features some larger-than-life figures.
Fried knows last night could've been a lot worse, as he revealed to David O'Brien of The Athletic:
"You try. But there's only so much you can do as far as replicating the adrenaline and the mental energy that you give up," Fried said. "It was definitely a hot one. Just really muggy and humid, and trying to get a grip on the ball at times. I felt like I didn't really have very much fastball command at all, and (catcher Travis D'Arnaud) kept giving me a lot of confidence and really put a lot of trust in me to get me through that. … For me, it kinda shows the time I've been off. Definitely a little rusty."
It's that terminology — rusty — that sums up Fried's appearance all too well. Fried is still shaking off the cobwebs. Eventually, he should reemerge as the ace Braves fans are used to watching ever fifth day. Until then, there could be some bumps in the road.
Braves Rumors: Aaron Boone wants Yankees to be more like Atlanta
After an 11-3 loss at the hands of Atlanta on Monday night, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone knew his team was not match for the best team in baseball.
"Right now, they're the class of the league, clearly," Boone said, per The Athletic. "That's where you want to be. They're obviously putting together a pretty great season and have been now for the last several years in the National League. (They) have a lineup that's really, really rugged and balanced. A little peek into where you're trying to get to."
The gap between the Yankees and Braves is the size of the grand canyon right now, with New York last place in the AL East and struggling to get much of anything going after the trade deadline. The Braves, meanwhile, lead their division by a whopping 11.5 games and feature the best lineup in baseball.
"I think they're aggressive in the zone and they get big hits," Isiah Kiner-Falefa said. "One homer in the beginning of the game, and they were able to pull off that kind of lead — just shows they're able to get singles in big situations and move the line."
While the Braves do lead MLB in home runs by a rather large margin, that isn't the only way they can beat you, and that's the exact point IKF is making.
