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After Atlanta’s 12–4 loss to the Pirates, Lindsay Crosby argues Hurston Waldrep was rushed back from elbow surgery before he was ready, leading to seven earned runs in 3.1 innings, five walks, and a hit batter that set up Ryan O’Hearn’s record-setting three homers and 10 RBI for the game. Crosby breaks down Waldrep’s low zone rates and lack of chase on the splitter, comparing his profile to Ian Anderson, and places blame on the front office for repeatedly accelerating injury returns (Acuña, Ha-Seong Kim, Drake Baldwin). He notes Atlanta may be changing course by taking Acuña’s second hamstring injury slower and being cautious with Robert Suárez, but the Braves now face a rotation crunch ahead of the All-Star break, with limited options for Sunday’s start and bullpen/roster moves.
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"Has the Atlanta Braves Front Office Learned Its Lesson About Rushing Guys? | Atlanta Braves Podcast" is an episode of Braves Today. Runtime 34 min. Published July 8, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.