With Arcia, d'Arnaud back, Braves are even more dangerous

May 8th, 2023

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Braves own a National League-best 24-11 record. They have matched the 1969, ‘97 and ‘98 teams for the best 35-game start in franchise history.

Things are going well for the Braves, and things could get even better now that their injured list has transformed from a novel to a short paragraph.

Orlando Arcia returned from the injured list earlier than expected on Sunday, and Travis d’Arnaud was activated on Monday. But the humbling nature of the baseball world was felt after Sunday’s win over the Orioles, when the Braves wouldn’t commit to when Max Fried might make his next start.

No injury or ailment has been disclosed. But when asked about their ace, the Braves are just saying, “We’re working on some things.”

This uncertainty dulled the excitement felt early Sunday morning, when Braves fans awoke to the news that Arcia had been activated only 24 days after a Hunter Greene fastball fractured his left wrist. The Braves entered the weekend thinking the veteran shortstop was still at least 10 days from returning.

But good workouts on Friday and Saturday accelerated the timetable. Seeing Vaughn Grissom’s struggles as a big league shortstop may have also influenced the early return.

As for d’Arnaud, he told the Braves he felt great after playing a couple of Minor League rehab games for Triple-A Gwinnett this weekend. He caught five innings on Sunday and served as the designated hitter on Sunday.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that d’Arnaud’s return might lead to the Braves cutting ties with Marcell Ozuna. But the landscape has changed, as Ozuna came out of nowhere to record four homers over a four-game span from Wednesday through Saturday.

Still, even if Ozuna has maintained his roster spot, it will be interesting to see how Braves manager Brian Snitker attempts to ensure Ozuna, d’Arnaud and Sean Murphy get sufficient at-bats.

Murphy needs an occasional day off, which he received Monday. But he’ll need to be the designated hitter during a majority of the days he isn’t catching. d’Arnaud will also see some time as the DH, too.

Unfortunately, this means Ozuna could get some starts in left field. But before worrying too much, the 1.034 OPS that Eddie Rosario has constructed over his past 12 games should extend his time as the regular left fielder.

Yeah, Snitker may have some tough lineup decisions over the next couple of weeks. But Ozuna putting himself back in the picture, even if this proves to be false hope, shouldn’t be viewed as a bad thing.