Manager Brian Snitker and the Atlanta Braves are currently looking to push their way back into the postseason picture after two straight wins vs the San Francisco Giants on the road. The Braves recently endured an ugly seven-game losing streak that allowed the New York Mets to pass them, but there is now a bit of optimism for Snitker's squad, especially considering the imminent return of starting outfielder Michael Harris II.
Harris II has been out since mid June and only recently began working on rehabilitation assignments in the minor leagues, but on Wednesday, the team announced that he was back and ready to rejoin the ball club, in addition to some other roster tweaks that the decision necessitated.
“The #Braves today returned OF Michael Harris II from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list, and optioned OF Eli White to Triple-A Gwinnett,” wrote the team on X, formerly Twitter. “To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated RHP Parker Dunshee for assignment.”
Harris, meanwhile, is thrilled to be back.
“It kinda feels like the first day of school,” Harris said, via Bally Sports: Braves on X, per Sports Illustrated. “It feels like I haven’t seen them in a while. It’s been a while since I’ve been out there with them, and I'm just excited to get back.”
Harris also spoke on the support he's received from the medical staff throughout the process.
“It’s been incredible,” said Harris. “Those guys have been in baseball a long time. They’ve seen everything that can happen to a body, so they know the process and they also listen to how we respond and how our body reponds. As long as everyone is truthful with each other, it gonna be a good process.”
Can the Braves turn things around?
As previously mentioned, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the Braves in 2024 after their dominant 2023 regular season. While Atlanta still has a solid chance of making the playoffs, the bats that were ringing all year last season have suddenly gone quiet in 2024, and the brilliant pitching that had previously been keeping the team afloat this season is now beginning to falter.
Of course, so much of postseason success in the MLB boils down to who can get hot at the right time, as the Braves did in 2021. If the team can find a way to get themselves into the postseason in some capacity, they will still be a squad that no higher seed will look forward to facing.
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