As obvious as it sounds, replacing key cogs in the starting rotation is a difficult task and arguably harder this season for the Atlanta Braves

Friday started with good news for the Braves with Austin Riley being activated off the injured list. There weren’t many highlights after that, though, as the Braves’ second-half struggles continued with an 8-3 loss to the Rangers to open a nine-game road trip.

A down year comes with consequences, and one of those is that the Atlanta Braves clubhouse will likely lose some teammates in the coming days

Braves manager Brian Snitker said Austin Riley would have likely been activated from the injured list on Tuesday had the team been preparing for a playoff game. “I think it’s just smart to piggyback with \[Thursday’s off-day,

The July 31 trade deadline looms, and the Braves are expected to sell, with Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias as top candidates.

The Atlanta Braves take a flyer on a power bat out of Auburn, adding another first baseman from this year's amateur prospect class

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.