What can we expect from Braves in second half? 

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Constructing a 100-win season is one of the most challenging accomplishments in baseball. Winning a World Series is the sport’s most satisfying accomplishment. Having seen 100-win seasons end prematurely both of the past two years, the Braves will spend the rest of this year focused on reintroducing themselves to postseason success.

The Braves are 53-42 and stand 8 1/2 games behind the first-place Phillies in the National League East. The odds of adding to their collection of division titles aren’t promising. But the same could have been said in 1993, when Atlanta trailed San Francisco by nine games in the NL West through the first 95 games. The 2022 team was seven games back with just 50 games to play.

You never know what the season’s second half could bring. Here is a look at what could be in store for the Braves over the next couple months.

Second-half goal: Stay healthy
Without Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr., the Braves still have the potential to win their second World Series within the past four years. But one more significant injury would likely be the crushing blow. With Chris Sale, Max Fried, Reynaldo López and Charlie Morton, the Braves have a rotation that could give any team problems during the postseason. Instead of chasing a seventh straight NL East crown, this team needs to pace these starters and make every effort to ensure they are physically capable of being effective in the playoffs.

Likely Trade Deadline strategy: Buyer
Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has made numerous valuable Trade Deadline deals since he arrived in Atlanta for the 2018 season. Anthopoulos’ best haul came in 2021, when he acquired Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall and a couple others after Acuña suffered the first of what is now two season-ending knee injuries. Anthopoulos was fortunate with each of the low-risk, high-reward deals he made that year. He’ll be looking to add one outfielder and possibly a starting pitcher before this year’s July 30 Deadline.

With three All-Stars, the rotation is one of the game’s strongest. But Spencer Schwellenbach could start to fatigue, and there will be a need to monitor the workloads of Sale and López as they attempt to complete their first full seasons as a starter since 2019.

Key player: Matt Olson
Marcell Ozuna has provided MVP-caliber production for more than a calendar year and Austin Riley returned to his elite level over the past month. It’s Matt Olson’s turn to get back to where he was last year, when he set franchise records in home runs and RBIs. Olson has 13 home runs and a .714 OPS. At this same 95-game mark last year, he had 32 homers and a .944 OPS. It seemed like he righted himself during the first two weeks of June. But he produced a .446 OPS over his final 26 games before the break.

Jarred Kelenic is showing comfort in the leadoff spot and Michael Harris II is nearing a return from the injured list. This underachieving Braves lineup has potential. But the key to truly overcoming Acuña’s injury rests on Olson’s ability to prove he can be the third high perfromance member of this lineup.

Prospect to watch: AJ Smith-Shawver
Schwellenbach has thrown 89 2/3 innings between the Majors and Minors this year. He tallied 65 innings while serving as a starter for the first time since high school last year. The Braves’ starting pitching depth will be tested over the season’s final two months. So, it’s certainly encouraging to know that both Ian Anderson and Smith-Shawver could be available within the next couple weeks.

Anderson is recovering from Tommy John surgery and Smith-Shawver is returning from a left oblique strain he suffered in May.

Smith-Shawver ranks as the Braves' No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 67 prospect overall. He made great strides before suffering his injury in an encouraging May 23 start at Wrigley Field. If he can eat innings in quality fashion down the stretch, the Braves should be able to continue pacing those primary starters who will be key to postseason success.