Braves spared another injury blow in rare positive update

The Atlanta Braves are sitting comfortably in the NL Wild Card race, but it’s hard to imagine a more disastrous season to date. In 2023, the Braves were flying high as one of the greatest offensive teams in league history.

Now, beset by injuries and trudging through slumps, Atlanta will be hard-pressed to put a dent in the Philadelphia Phillies’ substantial first-place lead.

Now, as the Braves are well aware, first place means very little in the grand scheme of things. Not many No. 1 seeds have even won the World Series lately. But, it is important to build up positive momentum going into the playoffs. Right now, well, the Braves don’t have much of that to speak of.

Alex Anthopoulos has to be one of the busiest GMs in the league ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. The Braves have suffered injury after injury, setback after setback, poking holes in their depth chart and transforming the offense from a juggernaut into an engine of averageness.

Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. — Atlanta’s two best players by most metrics — are both out for the season. Meanwhile, Ozzie Albies is expected to spend several weeks on the pine, leaving another noticeable hole in the Braves’ middle infield.

On Sunday, June 28, Atlanta received another injury scare. Reynaldo Lopez, a couple weeks removed from his first-ever All-Star appearance, was yanked in the third inning of his start with what the team described as “forearm tightness.” Those are two words