5 key questions Braves face in second half

The Braves enter the second half in either a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty situation, depending on one's perspective.

They're still in first place in the NL East, but just two games up on the charging Phillies. They had five players represent them at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia, but they also have some big holes. They have reinforcements coming, but there are not-insignificant unknowns surrounding them.

All that to say, the second half -- and the first few weeks in particular -- should be a critical time for the Atlanta squad. With that in mind, here are five big questions the Braves face in the coming weeks.

1. What can they expect from Ronald Acuña Jr. upon his return?

It's true that Acuña, who has missed more than a month with his second hamstring injury this season, will help the Braves' lineup. But how he helps it is the question. Though Acuña's .373 on-base percentage remains stellar, the slug just hasn't been there. With the exception of a torrid stretch at the end of May in which he clubbed five homers in four games, he's simply not been the power player we're used to.

Consider: In his first 42 games before the homer binge, Acuña had a .695 OPS. In the seven games after the binge -- the last seven he played before his latest hamstring injury -- he had a .601 OPS. The point is, even if he's 100 percent back to full health, the rest of his season hasn't been very Acuña-like. So, there are no guarantees.

2. Is it realistic to expect Austin Riley to turn it around?

The offensive decline of Austin Riley has been one of the great mysteries of the past couple of seasons. Yes, he's had two significant injuries (broken wrist in '24, abdominal issue in '25), but even when he's been healthy he's mostly just not looked good. This season has been especially poor.

The former MVP candidate enters the second half with a .618 OPS on the season and has hit .195 with just three homers over his past 50 games. Over his past 1,000 plate appearances dating to July 4, 2024, he's compiled just a .707 OPS -- 12 percentage points below the league average during that span. The hope is that something clicks and he returns to the 30-plus-homer slugger who signed a 10-year, $212 contract extension in 2022. There's been nothing to indicate anything like that is imminent, however. But baseball is weird, so never say never. But to expect it to happen would seem to defy logic. Related ...

3. Can they afford to not make significant upgrades to pitching and offense?

Pitching: This seems non-negotiable: They must add an impact starter by the Deadline, and probably a second quality arm for the rotation. Injuries and underperformance have wrecked their rotation for a second straight season. Apart from lefty ace Chris Sale at the top and potentially -- potentially -- a new-look Reynaldo López behind him, there's really nobody who would instill confidence going into a playoff series.

Veteran lefty Martín Pérez had a nice run for the first two months, but has regressed toward his career norms (7.43 ERA in his past three starts; 13 1/3 total innings). Bryce Elder, who initially looked like he might reprise his All-Star role from 2023, has also struggled over the past month-plus (8.47 ERA in his past seven starts). Meanwhile, Grant Holmes has pitched better recently but may be better suited for the bullpen, and the young arms of JR Ritchie and Hurston Waldrep don't appear ready for full-time starting roles. Throw in uncertainty over the injured Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach, along with the unknown of how AJ Smith-Shawver will perform upon his eventual return, and, yes, rotation upgrades are critical.

Hitting: The offense needs significant help too. Since May 11, a span of 54 games, the Braves have a .673 OPS. That ranks 29th in baseball. They also had an MLB-worst .599 OPS in June. Some of this includes the absence of Acuña, Riley's ongoing woes and a long IL stint for All-Star catcher Drake Baldwin (then a long slump upon his return). But it also includes extremely limited production from their shortstops (most notably Ha-Seong Kim), rapidly dwindling production from the DH spot and uneven production from the corner outfielders.

In theory, the offense could be fine, even great, if Acuña returns to his MVP form, Riley approaches even league-average production and the rest of their core (Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II and Baldwin) continue or improve on their current paces. But that's a lot of "ifs." They need to add at least one significant bat at the Deadline.

4. Will the bullpen stay elite down the stretch?

Even when other things have gone wrong this season, the Braves' bullpen has remained a constant source of excellence. Atlanta's relievers posted an MLB-best 3.06 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in the first half, with the late-inning arms of Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez and All-Star closer Raisel Iglesias deserving particular recognition. Those three have combined for a 1.43 ERA and have held opponents to a .184 average across 107 1/3 innings.

The 'pen as a whole has been spectacular, but the arms have been used a lot, given the starters' struggles to go more than five innings. Suarez has been on the IL since late June with forearm inflammation. Will he be just as effective when he returns? Will the others show signs of wear after their heavy workloads? Unless things improve significantly elsewhere on the roster, the Braves can't afford any major bullpen regression.

5. Will they actually make a Deadline splash or try for a 2021 repeat?

It's impossible to know whether Trade Deadline deals will have an impact until, well, they have an impact. But still, splashy deals aren't guaranteed to produce the intended results, and smaller deals don't mean there won't be huge returns down the line. So the Braves and every other contender have three primary choices: Go big, go medium or go small. It's been a long time since Atlanta took the world-rocking trade approach at the Deadline. You really have to go back to 2007, when the Braves traded several top prospects -- highlighted by future All-Stars Elvis Andrus and Neftalí Feliz and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia -- for slugger Mark Teixeira (and it didn't really work out for the Braves).

They have the financial and prospect capital to make a big splash this year (Tarik Skubal), but that doesn't mean it's likely or probable. They could opt to go the 2021 route again, looking for undervalued but high-upside players to fill their needs without mortgaging the future, just like they did with Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler. Those moves produced the NLCS and World Series MVPs. Some fans will find reasons to gripe no matter the Braves' approach at the Deadline, but there's more than one path to a championship.