Atlanta Braves Make Five Roster Moves Heading Into All-Star Break

The Atlanta Braves announced a handful of roster moves on Saturday as they sit at 54-39 and hold first place in the NL East.

The club placed outfielder Mike Yastrzemski on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, optioned right-hander James Karinchak to Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled both right-hander Owen Murphy and outfielder Brewer Hicklen to the active roster.

Atlanta also outrighted outfielder José Azócar to Gwinnett and transferred right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver's rehab assignment to the Stripers.

The injury appears to have happened Friday night during Atlanta's 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Yastrzemski started in right field but was pulled for Eli White heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, and the team made the IL move official the following morning.

In his first year with the Braves after signing a two-year deal last December, the 35-year-old has hit .230 with six home runs and 28 RBI across 85 games.

He had been showing signs of life at the plate recently, including a grand slam against the Pirates on Thursday, so the timing is not great.

The silver lining is that with the All-Star break right around the corner, Yastrzemski could miss very little game time if he only needs the minimum 10-day stay.

To fill the two open roster spots, the Braves brought Murphy and Hicklen back up from Gwinnett.

Murphy is just 22 years old and was a first-round pick by Atlanta back in 2022, and he made his major league debut earlier this week when he gave up two runs in one inning of work.

Hicklen, 30, is set to make his first appearance in a Braves uniform after short stints with three other clubs over the past few seasons.

With Ronald Acuña Jr. still working his way back from a hamstring injury and Yastrzemski now on the shelf, Atlanta's outfield depth will be tested heading into the second half.

Eli White and Hicklen could split time in right field for now.

Karinchak heads to Gwinnett despite posting a solid 1.86 ERA in nine relief outings this season, his first time pitching in the majors in three years.

The best news from Saturday's batch of moves might be the next step for Smith-Shawver.

The 23-year-old right-hander has been working his way back from Tommy John surgery he had in June of 2025, and his rehab has gone well.

In two starts with Single-A Augusta, he threw seven innings of one-run ball while striking out nine batters and not walking a single one.

The Braves bumped him up to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday, which puts him that much closer to rejoining a big league rotation that has been running on fumes for months.

Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach are both still out, and getting Smith-Shawver back after the break would be a real boost for a pitching staff that has been stretched thin all year.

Atlanta continues its series in St. Louis on Saturday night.