Braves writer raises red flags for GM Alex Anthopoulos, Walt Weiss over one drawn-out decision originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Atlanta Braves have not lost often during the 2026 season, but it feels like the same issue surfaces whenever they do drop games. That issue is a short-handed bullpen, which seems to happen on what feels like every other night.

Atlanta is doing something unique with its pitching staff early in the season. In their loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, they used only one bullpen arm due to availability issues.

“There’s a good chance the Braves could have preserved the 2-1 lead they gained in the fifth had they had their three All-Star caliber relievers — Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias — available. The trio has combined to allow three earned runs over 54 1/3 innings,” MLB.com’s Mark Bowman wrote.

The reason for this predicament is that the Braves are carrying multiple pitchers who sit between being starters and bullpen arms. That approach has created roster flexibility issues rather than solving them.

“Lopez is lined up to provide length behind Holmes tomorrow. There’s a lot of value in having Fuentes and Lopez in the pen. But carrying both at the same time seems challenging and may lead to more nights of the pen being short,” Bowman wrote.

While the strategy has worked early in the season, it is likely going to catch up with them eventually. The Braves appear to be overlooking that concern for now. Power Battery’s Scott Coleman believes Atlanta cannot continue operating this way.

“Not sure how much longer you can run this 6 man hybrid rotation when you have very little trust in two of your seven relievers and another is a rookie they’re being highly cautious with,” Coleman posted.

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos understands that the pitching staff is in a unique spot at the moment, but it is a structure the organization is comfortable with for now. Manager Walt Weiss is allowing the plan to play out.

Eventually, the concern is that this approach will catch up to them, which is a fair observation. The Braves may need to address these red flags and find more stability in their pitching structure, or the situation could become increasingly difficult to manage.

More MLB news:

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• Blue Jays trade for Marlins’ $56M Cy Young winner is a power move to revive injury-riddled rotation

• Dodgers trade with NL West rival for $115M Cy Young winner in potential rare division blockbuster