The 2024 season was a long and winding one for the Atlanta Braves. They lost Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, and Spencer Strider to season-ending injuries. The Braves also lost Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Sean Murphy, Max Fried, Reynaldo Lopez, among others, for an extended period of time. And now, Chris Sale won’t be available for the Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres.
It took the Braves until Game 162 to make it to October, and it will most likely be a short stay. Here are the top four reasons why the Braves won’t be adding a World Series trophy to their collection.
Chris Sale is irreplaceable
Chris Sale, the Cy Young favorite and the Braves’ No. 1 starter, will miss the Wild Card series against the Padres because of back spasms. He wasn’t able to go during Monday’s doubleheader against the New York Mets as he was scratched just before Game 2, which the Braves ended up winning. Max Fried will start Game 1 of the Wild Card, but if the Braves somehow move on and Sale still can’t go, it will be a short NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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No Acuna and no Riley? Good luck with that
It was a struggle for the Braves to score runs this season with injuries to not only Acuna and Riley, but also Albies and Harris. Matt Olson had a below-average season to his standards. They had to rely on players like Gio Urshela, Whit Merrifield, and Ramon Laureano to fill out the roster. Marcell Ozuna was their only reliable bat all season. It will be tough for this offense to put up runs in the postseason, especially against the Padres in the Wild Card series.
Related: Top 4 reasons why the Detroit Tigers won’t win the 2024 World Series
Traveling cross-country day after clinching
The Braves were forced to play a doubleheader against the Mets in Atlanta on Monday because of Hurricane Helene last week. Even though they won the final game of the regular season to clinch a playoff berth, it wasn’t much of a celebration as they had to get on a plane to travel across the United States to San Diego for Game 1 of the Wild Card on Tuesday. It will be a tough game for the Braves to get ready for due to the logistical nightmare the hurricane caused.
Related: Top 4 reasons why Baltimore Orioles won’t win 2024 World Series
How big of a loss is A.J. Minter?
The Braves will miss one of their most reliable relievers for the playoffs after A.J. Minter underwent hip surgery in August. Before going down, the dominant left-hander had 35 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. It’s a big loss as the Padres have had trouble hitting southpaws all season, and if the Braves advance, they could face left-handed sluggers like Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in the NLDS.
Related: Top 4 reasons why the San Diego Padres won’t win the World Series
