First pitch is 6:40 PM CT and it's a pair of lefties: Martín Pérez (4-3, 3.02) for Atlanta against Anthony Kay (5-1, 4.40) for the South Siders. Pérez has been quietly the steadiest arm in this rotation while half the staff sits on the 60-day IL. Kay's record looks great until you remember his last time out he coughed up 6 earned in 4 innings to the Phillies, which is the kind of line that makes a 4.40 ERA feel generous.
The bigger story showed up Tuesday night, when Ronald Acuña Jr. pulled up running out a grounder and was placed on the 10-day IL with a strained left hamstring — his second hammy issue of the year. That's a tectonic shift for a Braves lineup that was already without Sean Murphy, Drake Baldwin, Kyle Farmer and the full-season Profar suspension. They've been hanging 6 spots on Pittsburgh, then suddenly they hang 1 in Chicago and lose 2-1. Connect the dots.
- Day-To-DayBlake Burkhalter RP — Triple-A Gwinnett placed Burkhalter on the 7-day injured list March 27 with back spasms, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 10-Day-ILRonald Acuna Jr. RF — Manager Walt Weiss said after Tuesday's game against the White Sox that Acuna is day-to-day with left hamstring tightness, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.
- 10-Day-ILDrake Baldwin C — Baldwin (oblique) is slated to take live batting practice Thursday and Friday and could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett over the weekend, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.
- 10-Day-ILKyle Farmer DH — Farmer went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's rout of the Guardians.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Kinley RP — Kinley (4-2) picked up the win over the Nationals on Friday, striking out two in a perfect 11th inning.
- suspensionJurickson Profar LF — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILHurston Waldrep SP — Waldrep (elbow) had his rehab assignment transferred to Double-A Columbus, where he will make his next start Thursday, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
- 60-Day-ILSean Murphy C — Murphy had the cast on his left hand removed Tuesday and is now wearing a splint to protect his fractured middle finger, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reprots.
- Day-To-DayColson Montgomery SS — Montgomery (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.
- Day-To-DayMason Adams RP — The White Sox announced that Adams underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILMunetaka Murakami 1B — White Sox manager Will Venable said Monday that Murakami (hamstring) stayed back in Chicago during the team's road trip and was given a platelet-rich plasma injection, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Gilbert RP — The White Sox placed Gilbert on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left shoulder impingement.
- 15-Day-ILNoah Schultz SP — White Sox manager Will Venable said Wednesday that Schultz (knee) remains sore and isn't ready to throw a bullpen session, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJordan Hicks RP — Hicks was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right lat strain.
- 60-Day-ILAustin Hays LF — Hays has been pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte due to a recurrence of left calf soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILKyle Teel C — Teel (hamstring) has begun hitting off a tee and doing catching drills, MLB.com reports.
Meanwhile the White Sox — yes, those White Sox — are 36-31 and sitting atop the AL Central after Davis Martin's 6 scoreless innings on Wednesday. They've taken the first 2 of this series despite running out Colson Montgomery's back issue, Munetaka Murakami's hamstring, and a bullpen that just lost Tyler Gilbert to a shoulder impingement. Will Venable has them playing like a team that doesn't know it's supposed to be rebuilding.
Stylistically this should be a tight one. Pérez is a contact-management lefty who doesn't beat himself, and the post-Acuña Braves lineup isn't exactly built to slug back from a 3-run deficit. Kay is the more hittable arm, but he's also the one with home-field, a hot bullpen behind him, and a Chicago club that's outplaying its run differential all month. Atlanta is a heavy favorite by reputation. The actual game on the field has been a coin flip.
If the Braves don't get this one, they'll have been swept by the worst-projected team on their schedule with their best player in street clothes. That's the kind of week that turns into a thing. Pérez has to be sharp, and somebody not named Acuña has to drive in a run.