Braves News: Deadline Day Arrives, Matt Olson goes deep in loss, more

I feel it is not far fetched to say that nearly every night Ronald Acuna Jr. has taken the field so far this year up until Monday, he was the player both Braves fans and opposing fans were excited to see the most. If it was not him, then it was perhaps Matt Olson, or maybe Ozzie Albies. However, on Monday night, that likely changed a bit as Shohei Ohtani visited Atlanta.

This was not the first time that Ohtani had visited Atlanta. However, this time around it was different. With Ohtani, Acuna Jr., and Olson on the field, you had the AL and NL MVP favorites, the AL and NL home run leaders, and three players clearly on pace for historic seasons. And that level of production on one field is always exciting. Unfortunately, the end result was not that great for the Braves on a night where the offense was quiet. But there were still a few moments to enjoy:

Harris II robbery of Ohtani is one of the best Braves defensive plays to date, while Olson provided the only bit of offense the Braves could muster on Monday. With Tuesday potentially being an exciting day off the field due to the Trade Deadline officially approaching, it could be just as exciting and hopefully enjoyable on the field with the Braves hoping to bounce back and even the series.

Braves News

• The Braves made a few roster moves early on Tuesday, officially activating A.J. Minter from the injury list and officially welcoming Nicky Lopez to Atlanta. To make room on the roster, AJ Smith-Shawver was sent down to Triple-A and Charlie Culberson was designated for assignment.
• Manager Brian Snitker continued to provide some insight on when other injured players could potentially begin their timelines to return. It seems the next time that Max Fried takes a mound, it will be for the Braves themselves. Furthermore, reliever Dylan Lee is ramping up his activity to hopefully begin a rehab assignment soon.
• Seth Keller and and other Braves minor leaguers combined for a no-hitter on Sunday.

MLB News

• Monday continued to be a busy day across baseball with the Trade deadline officially arriving today. The Reds added reliever Sam Moll in a deal with the Athletics.
• The Cubs were busy, as they acquired reliever Jose Cuas from the Royals and infielder Jeimer Candelario from the Nationals.
• The Brewers traded for veteran OF Mark Canha from the Mets.
• Veteran closer Paul Sewald was traded to the Diamondbacks by Seattle.
• The Rays added to their rotation with acquisition of Aaron Civale from the Guardians.
• The Diamondbacks also added utility infielder Jack Peterson from the Diamondbacks.
• A.J. Pollack and Mark Mathias were traded from Seattle to the Giants.
• Justin Verlander talks continued on Monday, with the Astros and Dodgers the most interested suitors.
• The Phillies topped the Marlins in a key early week series between NL playoff hopefuls.