Braves Report: Reinforcements, plz

Well, folks … the Bravos had a tough couple of games (and a rainout) on the Southside.

Good news is, some reinforcements are en route.

WAITING ON DRAKE

Drake Baldwin, seen here in May, could return to the Braves next week. (Jason Getz/AJC)

By Chad Bishop

One man goes down, one man comes up.

As tough as it was for the Braves to see Ronald Acuña Jr. hit the injured list again this week, help is on the way in the form of catcher Drake Baldwin.

The National League’s reigning rookie of the year is scheduled to begin a short rehab assignment Saturday in Jacksonville, where the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers will be facing the Jumbo Shrimp at 6:35 p.m. Baldwin has been on the IL since May 19 with an oblique strain.

• If all goes well Saturday, and then again at 2 p.m. Sunday, Baldwin could rejoin the Braves on Tuesday at Truist Park, where they play host to the Giants.

Baldwin was hitting .303 with 38 RBIs, 13 homers, 24 walks and 39 runs scored in 48 games before the first IL stint of his young MLB career.

The Braves aren’t necessarily desperate for Baldwin’s bat, but with Acuña out (again) and with catchers Sandy Leon, Austin Wynns and Chadwick Tromp providing next to nothing offensively, having the 25-year-old back in the lineup will be nothing to sneeze at.

Gesundheit? Y’all make sure to keep tabs on Chad at @MrChadBishop … and tell a friend about the Braves Report.

QUICK, SOME OTHER NEWS!

💪 Speaking of reinforcements: Hurston Waldrep made his third rehab start Thursday, lasting 3⅔ innings and 53 pitches (33 strikes) for Double-A Columbus. He yielded just three hits — but one of them was a three-run homer.

• The Braves have until the end of the month to decide if they need Waldrep with the big league club or are comfortable stashing him in Triple-A for a while.
• You never know … but with initial plans putting fellow youngster JR Ritchie on relief duty, it’s at least possible the Braves relegate someone to the ‘pen (Grant Holmes being the fan “favorite,” at this point) to make room for Waldrep when he’s ready.

💅 The bullpen, of course, remains baseball’s best … but Tyler Kinley’s IL-inducing elbow inflammation isn’t ideal.

⭐ Our amigo Gabe Burns took a closer look at the Braves’ potential all-stars. He figures they’ve got five guys who should be locks — and seven more worthy of consideration.

🙏 Business types held a private memorial for CNN founder and iconic Braves owner Ted Turner this week. Officials said a public event is still in the works.

🤠 While the Braves visit the Mets this weekend (more on that momentarily), Country Fest takes over Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta. The aforementioned Mr. Burns caught up with the musician Ernest, who’s had a lifelong love affair with baseball.

THIS IS WHERE WE TALK ABOUT HOW BAD THE METS ARE

Tonight’s series opener at Citi Field will, somehow, mark the first time the Braves face the last-place Mets this season.

Let’s get ready by reveling in their misery.

• New York sits at 30-38 overall and 4-5 in June after salvaging the final game of their recent series with the Cardinals.
• They dumped mainstays like Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil in the offseason and … the replacements haven’t quite panned out.
• High-priced infielder Bo Bichette is hitting .227 with five home runs. Outfielder Luis Robert Jr. has been on the IL since April. Closer Devin Williams sports a 5.32 ERA.
• On the superstar front: Francisco Lindor remains on the shelf with a calf strain, while Juan Soto’s Thursday afternoon homer was his first in weeks.

Thank goodness for the Knicks, amirite fellas?

(On a more positive note, I will share that old friend AJ Minter — who missed an entire calendar year after tearing a lat muscle last spring — has contributed six scoreless appearances since rejoining the Mets bullpen.)

🗓️ Anyway … here’s the schedule and probable starters:

• Friday: 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV. Spencer Strider (4-1, 4.00 ERA) vs. Nolan McLean (3-4, 3.98)
• Saturday: 4:10 p.m. on BravesVision. Martín Pérez (4-3, 3.02) vs. TBD
• Sunday: 1:40 p.m. on BravesVision and your local Gray TV station. Bryce Elder (5-3, 2.66) vs. Freddy Peralta (4-5, 4.04)

After all that, the Braves will host the Giants at Truist Park. Tuesday’s “Ronald Acuña Jr. Home Run Tracker” bobblehead and Wednesday’s soccer jersey giveaway (timely!) offer extra incentives to show up.

‘ARE YOU SO BORED WITH WINNING THAT YOU’RE DESPERATE TO WRITE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE?’

That was David in Sandy Springs’ response to last week’s poll gauging your thoughts about the vanishingly slim possibility of the Braves targeting Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in a midseason trade.

And frankly, David? Sort of. There are only so many ways to skin a well-performing cat. (Gross metaphor, sorry.)

This was actually one of our better-performing polls, too — but the results probably won’t surprise you.

• A hearty 65% of folks chose the “no prospects for rentals” option. Thoughtful, conservative.
• And 20% get props for honesty. They were willing to admit they’d celebrate such a move if it led to a ring … and criticize it forever if it didn’t.
• That leaves just 15% who are all in on swapping a prospect or three for a few months of the two-time Cy Young winner, who’s slated to return from injury this weekend.

Newbold from Southwest Atlanta flirted with profanity while declaring there would be “other MLB drafts.”

“Get that championship!” he wrote.

Appreciate the passion, sir. And kinda sorta agree (I think? I don’t know).