Harsh realities for Bryce Elder and the Braves

The Braves dropped to 3-10 behind another miserable performance from the offense and sub-par start from Bryce Elder. There are still 149 games left, and reinforcements are on the way, but yesterday’s loss brought more harsh truths to light.

Let’s start with the obvious: Bryce Elder is not a major-league starting pitcher. The first half of the 2023 campaign was fun, leading to an All-Star nomination, but it was fool’s gold, and everybody knew it when it happened. Elder would finish that season with a 5.11 ERA in the second half before posting a 6.52 ERA in 2024.

The plan was never for Elder to see the mound this early in the year, but Ian Anderson‘s struggles combined with the injury to Reynaldo Lopez left the Braves with no other options. That’s the result of the club getting cheap and not signing a starting pitcher during the offseason. But even still, the Braves can’t keep trotting Bryce Elder out there as a starting pitcher any longer. His off-speed stuff is respectable, and he’s not a guy that’s going to give up a ton of free passes. Unfortunately, guys can’t make it anymore in this league with 89 MPH fastballs. Maybe there’s a bullpen role for him somewhere, but under no circumstance should he be starting games for the Braves again.

Elder, however, is the least of the worries in Atlanta. With Spencer Strider expected to return next week, there’s a chance we never even have to see Elder again this season. The primary issue plaguing this team through the first 13 games of the season has been the offense, and it’s no longer something that should be glossed over and attributed to poor luck.

The Braves have only scored 41 runs this season, which is good for 29th in the league. The bottom half of the lineup is filled with guys who shouldn’t be starting at the big-league level, and the so-called “stars” continue to fall flat in key moments. This isn’t just a cold stretch—it’s been a lingering issue since May of last year. The lineup is top-heavy, atrocious with runners in scoring position, and the sample size is now large enough to accept this group is never going to consistently put up runs.

Maybe Ronald Acuña Jr. can come in and play savior, but the last calendar year should have the front office seriously considering a reset. The Braves have been sleepwalking for too long, and nothing about what we’ve seen to start this season suggests that’s changed.