ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves optioned right-hander Owen Murphy to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, one day after his first major league start produced exactly the kind of line you’d expect from a 22-year-old getting his feet wet against big-league bats: three runs, two of them earned, over 2 2/3 innings in a 7-6 loss to the Texas Rangers.
In his place, the Braves selected the contract of 31-year-old right-hander Elieser Hernández — a pitcher with a 5.10 career ERA across six seasons who last appeared in the majors in 2024, when he posted a combined 6.32 ERA in nine games split between the Dodgers and Brewers. Hernández owns a career record of 10-22 in 99 appearances, 49 of them starts. Call it a depth move, not a parade.
Braves manager Walt Weiss didn’t bury the kid. He said Murphy “threw fine” but “left some pitches over the plate. It was more about execution than anything else.” That’s manager-speak for: the stuff plays, the location didn’t, and we’re not going to let him get chewed up while we sort out the rest of this rotation.
Because the rest of the rotation needs sorting. Weiss acknowledged the Braves have decisions to make before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and he wasn’t shy about the diagnosis.
“We need to take a step forward with our starting pitching,” Weiss said. “The guys have done it. They’ve been good this year, especially early on for a few months. So it’s certainly in there. But yeah, we’ve got to put together some good starts.”
Help may be coming from the training room. Left-hander Martín Pérez, on the injured list since July 6 with a left forearm contusion, threw a bullpen session Sunday. Weiss said Pérez “is on the radar” and close to returning. Right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver, working back from elbow surgery, threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his most recent rehab start for Gwinnett. Weiss said Smith-Shawver “will be in the conversation.”
So the menu is: a rookie sent down to marinate, a veteran arm scooped off the shelf, two rehabbing starters nearing the door, and a trade deadline three weeks out. The Braves’ front office has plates to juggle.
The lineup could get a jolt too. Ronald Acuña Jr., sidelined with a strained left hamstring, continues his rehab assignment at Gwinnett and could be close to rejoining the club.
Murphy’s debut wasn’t a disaster — two earned runs in under three innings is a learning experience, not a scar. He’ll get more innings at Triple-A, away from the pressure of a pennant race and a rotation that Weiss admits needs to find another gear. The Braves are betting that gear exists somewhere between the rehab mound and the trade market.
