By: Cameron Miller

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Let’s not sugarcoat it, the Atlanta Braves began the 2025 about as poorly as you could imagine, which put them in trouble. Deep trouble.

The Braves were a team that came into the season with real championship aspirations and a roster that’s loaded with All-Star talent. The first half of this season so far was really nothing short of a flat out failure.

They’ve been dealing with major injuries such as a pair of their young Superstars, Ronald Acuna Jr and Spencer Strider, being out of the lineup for them.

The injuries are one excuse, but at the end of the day you’ve got to step up with “next man up” mentality and that’s something they just couldn’t do at the beginning of the season. They had many of us wondering if this was really the same Braves team that once ruled the NL East.

So yes, reaching a .500 win percentage may not seem like much, because at this point it doesn’t even earn you a playoff spot, But make no mistake this milestone really does matter.

It marks a turning point in a season that, not too long ago, really looked like it might spiral into something we would all want to forget.

But here’s the thing about baseball, it gives you time. Time to figure it all out. Time to get healthy and get motivated.

And, over the past few weeks, the Braves finally have shown signs of life. They managed to claw their way back to .500 (21 wins & 21 losses) without the help of Ronald Acuna Jr or Spencer Strider and in doing so, they’ve reminded everyone around the league that they’re not going down without a fight.

The .500 mark isn’t about mediocrity; it’s about resilience and determination.

Eli White has been making a good start as a placeholder for Ronald Acuna Jr in right field, but Acuna is scheduled to rejoin the team for action on June 1st, so when he does make his way back in the starting lineup, the Braves will have another solid option in the field or at the plate if needed.

Spencer Strider on the other hand has been dealing with all different types of injuries; he has been dealing with a right elbow sprain since last season and right now it’s a right hamstring sprain he’s working to come back from.

Still, let’s not get too romantic about a .500 team. This roster was built to contend, not just merely survive.

The Braves aren’t in first place; they aren’t even leading the Wild Card race. But they’re alive and just a few weeks ago, that felt like a long shot. They picked up some steam just in time to try and give themselves a real chance to make a push in the NL East.

Reaching .500 isn’t a reason to celebrate, but it is a call to action. It’s a sign that the Braves have turned the tide just enough to make the rest of the season meaningful and enjoyable. And in a year where they were getting close to playing themselves out of relevance, that’s a victory worth acknowledging.

If they keep this momentum going, we’ll look back at this week not as a meaningless statistical checkpoint, but as the moment the 2025 Braves started to matter again.