Much to the baseball world’s surprise, the Atlanta Braves have had a nightmare start to the 2025 season. As of Thursday, they sit last in the National League East and are tied for last in the NL overall. The only reason they aren’t the worst team in the league is because of the Chicago White Sox who sit at 2-10.

The Braves lost their only notable free agent signing, outfielder Jurickson Profar to an 80-game suspension for his use of performance enhancing drugs and are now relying on outfielder Jarred Kelenic to fill the void. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

After fracturing a rib in a spring training game against the Marlins, catcher Sean Murphy has returned to Atlanta's lineup. He hit a home run in his first game back and brought home four runners. Murphy did not have the 2024 he wanted to or the start to it for that matter. He suffered an oblique injury that caused him to miss nearly two months. He went on to hit just .193 over 72 games. 

Braves right-handed pitcher Spencer Strider is very close to returning to the Braves after he commenced a rehab assignment with the Gwinnett Stripers. Facing the loaded Norfolk Tides, the Orioles Triple-A team, he struck out 13 of 21 batters he faced while allowing just one run and three hits. 

Strider has been one of the best pitchers in the NL since his first full season in 2022 in which he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, trailing his teammate, Michael Harris II. Strider followed that up with a 2023 campaign in which he earned an All-Star selection and finished fourth in Cy Young voting. He was tabbed as a Cy Young favorite in 2024, but unfortunately made just two starts before it was revealed that he had damage to his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and would miss the rest of the 2024 season. 

Offensively, outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr has been progressing well in his rehab after he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last May. According to MLB.com, “[Acuña] still hasn’t tested his knee with cutting or starting and stopping exercises.” The Braves desperately need Acuña back in the lineup. Through 13 games, the Braves sit tied for 29th in both runs per game (3.17) and stolen bases (4), and rank in the bottom third in the league in other offensive categories. Acuña is projected to be back in the lineup by early May, which means that he could commence a rehab assignment as soon as the end of next week. 

While the Braves didn’t struggle without Strider and Acuña last season, they did struggle to address their lack of depth over the offseason. It’s not time for Braves fans to hit the panic button, but this should serve as a warning to their front office that moves do need to be made in free agency to acquire depth should any of their starters go down this season.