Atlanta recalled JR Ritchie from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday as part of a set of roster moves that sent Ha-Seong Kim back to the injured list.
The Atlanta Braves have given their fans plenty to celebrate this holiday weekend. Friday night’s 5-3 home win over the New York Mets moved Atlanta to 51-35, and the club entered Saturday holding a three-game lead over Philadelphia in the NL East.
One player who has not been part of the fun is Ha-Seong Kim. The veteran infielder, who inked a $20 million contract covering a single season on December 15, 2025, slipped on ice and tore a tendon in the middle finger of his right hand, undergoing surgery in January. The procedure carried a recovery window of four to five months, costing him all of Spring Training along with the season’s opening weeks.
Kim captured a Gold Glove in 2023 while filling a utility role in San Diego, becoming the first Korean-born player to take home the award. He did not make his season debut until May 12. But on Saturday, the same finger became a problem once again.
The Braves announced four roster moves on Saturday, recalling right-hander JR Ritchie from Triple-A Gwinnett and placing Kim on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in that surgically repaired right middle finger, a stint backdated to July 1. Atlanta also reinstated infielder Kyle Farmer from the injured list following a rehab assignment and optioned right-hander Anthony Molina to Gwinnett.
Kim heads to the injured list hitting just .068 with no home runs, three RBIs and nine walks across 27 games. The 30-year-old has gone 5-for-73 at the plate this season, posting a .239 OPS.
Selected 35th overall by Atlanta in the 2022 draft out of Bainbridge High School, Ritchie signed for a $2.4 million bonus and turned 23 on June 26. The right-hander won his MLB debut on April 23 against Washington, striking out seven while limiting the Nationals to five hits and two earned runs across seven innings.
Entering Saturday’s recall, Ritchie is 1-2 with a 4.87 ERA in eight games (seven starts) for Atlanta, recording 37 strikeouts against 25 walks in 40.2 innings. His most recent big league outing came on June 23 at San Diego, where he struck out seven but walked four and allowed four earned runs on five hits across five innings.
The results have been stronger in Triple-A. Ritchie entered the recall 5-2 with a 3.22 ERA in nine starts for Gwinnett, striking out 42 over 44.2 innings, and he was scratched from a scheduled start ahead of Saturday’s call-up. He has versatility, so could also pitch in a long relief role, while maintaining the ability to start as well.
As for the other moves, Farmer gives Atlanta another infield option after missing time since mid-May with a forearm injury. The 35-year-old utility man, who signed with the Braves in March, appeared in just 10 games and logged 15 plate appearances before landing on the shelf. Molina, meanwhile, returns to Gwinnett one day after being recalled on July 3, when the club also optioned James Karinchak and reinstated left-hander Danny Young.
With the placement backdated, Kim is first eligible to be activated on July 11. Atlanta will look to keep its division lead intact when it hosts the Mets again on Saturday night at 8:08 p.m. ET on FOX, with the series continuing Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET and Monday at 7:15 p.m. ET.
