The Atlanta Braves are on a hot streak and are gaining ground in the NL East, but not everyone is going to be in the clubhouse come July 1.
Last year Brian Snitker used the earlier part of the season to figure out which players fit best on the squad. In 2021, there were 56 different players that played at least one game for the Atlanta Braves.
Shuffling lineups and tinkering with the roster may seem tedious, but it helped iron out a World Series-winning group that carried the Braves through October and back to the promised land.
This year the Braves have needed to overcome some early-season struggles, but the hot streak appears to be starting. With that in mind, June could be a make-or-break month for a handful of players who are on the roster bubble.
MLB Rumors: Who will not be on the Atlanta Braves roster when June ends?
It should be noted that we are talking about the active 26-man major league roster when it is stated that there will be players that will no longer be on the squad.
Relief pitchers, in recent history, are added and removed from a roster spot more than any position. On top of this, at the time of this writing, rosters will be limited to 13 pitchers on June 19th. The Braves currently have 14. This means that at a minimum, 1 pitcher will no longer be on the active roster.
Jesus Cruz
RP, Atlanta Braves
With the 13-pitcher limit, Jesus Cruz may be the odd man out. To his credit, he has pitched fairly well if we just look at ERA. He currently has an ERA of 3.00 (162 ERA+) in a very small sample size of 3 innings pitched.
However, if we look at some other numbers, it looks like he may be due for some regression. He has a 1.667 WHIP and averaged 12 hits per 9 innings.
If you factor in the single inning pitched for the Cardinals in 2021, that lowers the previously things to 2.250 WHIP, and 15.8 hits per 9 innings.
Batters have been a bit lucky against him with a BABIP of .400. His ERA is also higher than his FIP, which currently sits at 2.81.
Again, this is such a small sample size, but the Atlanta Braves have an elite bullpen, and an unproven pitcher would be a likely candidate to be sent back down, especially since he has three minor league options remaining.