Matt Krook opts for free agency after outright

Acuña has gone 0-for-6 with two strikeouts across a pair of contests for Atlanta’s lone minor-league affiliate still playing organized baseball during the All-Star break. The 28-year-old franchise cornerstone appears likely to rejoin the Braves lineup when they kick off the second half with a three-game series against the Rangers on Friday.

Kim has gone 2-for-4 with a homer across two contests during the All-Star break. It’s unclear whether the Braves want him to continue facing minor-league arms for a couple additional games at Triple-A Gwinnett since he was really struggling at the plate before hitting the injured list earlier this month.

Jones, 28, was great in his platoon role for the Tigers last season, hitting .287/.387/.550 with seven homers in 150 plate appearances. However, he was all of the way down to .137/.219/.221 in 105 plate appearances this year before losing his spot last week. Like the Tigers did, the Red Sox figure to use him exclusively against lefties, mostly in left field and at DH. He probably isn’t more than a desperation option at second base these days.

Eaton was just 4-for-32 this season, though at least those four hits did include a homer and two doubles. He might find himself bounced from the 40-man at some point if the Red Sox need a spot.

The Braves thought they might have something in Kerr, a former Padres reliever, a couple of years ago, but he got hurt that June and has gone the last two years without pitching in a game. He’s finally ready to now, but he’s going to have to prove himself all over again in the minors. The 31-year-old has a 5.30 ERA in 54 1/3 career innings in the majors, though it comes with a pretty nice 65/20 K/BB.

Honeycutt missed some time with a quad strain last month. The contact-challenged 23-year-old is hitting .180/.287/.346 with nine homers, 28 steals and 107 strikeouts in 248 plate appearances for Frederick.

Krook has declined the assignment and become a free agent. The 31-year-old allowed two runs in 2 2/3 innings during his brief time with the Nationals.

Jones has struggled mightily this year, but it’s possible he’ll go back to being useful against lefties. He’s out of options, so he’ll go on the major league roster and probably take Nate Eaton’s spot on Boston’s bench.

Despite falling to the 83rd pick in the draft, Hirschkorn, a right-hander out of a California high school, gets mid-first round money from the Braves. It’s actually the same bonus the Braves’ first pick at ninth overall, AJ Gracia, is getting, which is obviously intentional. Gracia signed for nearly $3 million under slot, and Hirschkorn is getting $3 million over slot.

The 30-year-old Martin was the Royals ' 25th-round pick in 2014. After seven years in the system, he joined the Nats organization in 2022 and then landed in indy ball for a time. He rejoined the Royals in 2025 and has been excellent this year, hitting .284/.414/.441 with 33 steals between Double- and Triple-A. It seems unlikely that another club would be willing to bring him right to the majors, but a contender might be open to adding him to the 40-man and looking at him as a potential tactical option down the stretch and in the postseason.