On Friday night, the Atlanta Braves will be in Missouri to open up a series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
They are coming off a 10-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park (and took two out of three in the series).
Braves Announce Demotion Of 3-Year MLB Player
GettyHurston Waldrep #64 of the Atlanta Braves reacts as Ryan O’Hearn #29 of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam home run in the first inning at PNC Park on July 7, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ahead of their series with the Cardinals, the Braves announced roster news.
They wrote (via X): “The #Braves today reinstated RHP Tyler Kinley from the paternity list and optioned RHP Hurston Waldrep to Triple-A Gwinnett.”
Waldrep is in the middle of his third MLB season (all with the Braves).
He has gone 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in three games (two starts) in 2026.
Social Media Reacts
GettyHurston Waldrep #30 of the Atlanta Braves walks to the dugout after pitching against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park on June 09, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Here’s what people were saying about the news:
Mark Bowman: “Ritchie will now start in place of Waldrep on Sunday. It’s been obvious Waldrep wasn’t ready to compete at the big league level. Might be able to shake the rust after a start or two at Triple-A”
Scott Coleman: “Let’s get Waldrep a solid month in Gwinnett to try and find his command, because it certainly wasn’t happening in Atlanta”
Grant McAuley: “Hurston Waldrep needs a little more time to tune things up coming off elbow surgery and missing time, but could still play a role down the stretch similar to what he did a year ago. His big league innings thus far in 2026 were largely out of necessity.”
GettyHurston Waldrep #64 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the sixth inning at Oracle Park on June 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
@ChoppinBravos: “Optioning Waldrep is the correct move he wasn’t ready. However, they are starting Ritchie who also isn’t ready and can’t throw strikes. Waldrep ran a 45% zone rate on Tuesday Ritchie ran a 44% zone rate yesterday. Just let Owen Murphy start at least he throws strikes.”
@RileyDaGoat_: “Good, let him work on his command”
Braves Right Now
The Braves are at the top of the National League East with a 54-38 record in 92 games.
They are 5-5 over their last ten games (and 27-20 in 47 games on the road).
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Atlanta Braves Announce Demotion Of 3-Year MLB Player Before Cardinals Series appeared first on HEAVY.