Braves land Lane Thomas, Falter swap as Lopez heads to IL
The Braves kicked off the trade deadline by acquiring Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter from the Royals in exchange for two pitching prospects, giving Thomas a left-handed platoon/outfield role and Falter a potential bullpen or rotation option with premium fastball upside but limited secondary-pitch development. In other news, Reynaldo Lopez was scratched with a knee injury and is headed to the IL, JR Ritchie will start, AJ Gracia is expected to have season-ending surgery, and Elieser Hernandez was DFA’d again; Martin Perez delivered a strong 8-3 win over the Nationals as part of a slate of Braves notes and MLB-wide deadline movement.