Fedde will step in as a much-needed starter who is ready to be deployed immediately. As it stands, Atlanta's starting pitchers currently on the injured list include Grant Holmes, Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo Lopez and AJ Smith-Shawver. All three of Holmes, Sale and Schwellenbach went down with injuries this month.

Kansas City has gone 26-28 at home and 52-55 overall. Royals pitchers have a collective 3.55 ERA, which ranks second in the majors. Atlanta has gone 19-34 on the road and 45-60 overall. The Braves have a 13-25 record in games decided by one run. The teams meet Tuesday for the second time this season.

Forty-five-year-old Royals left-handed starter Rich Hill took the loss. He surrendered four runs and six walks in his first start at Kauffman Stadium since 2021. He also allowed two of the Braves’ three homers in his four innings of work.

It’s almost Trade Deadline time, and if there’s one thing that definitely happens at Trade Deadline time, it’s relievers moving teams. Clubs don’t just acquire good or great relievers at the Deadline; if you look even as recently as last year, many clubs acquired relievers having truly putrid seasons, too.

PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Spencer Strider (4-8, 3.72 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 89 strikeouts); Royals: Richard Hill (0-1, 1.80 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, one strikeout) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Braves -169, Royals +142; over/under is 9 1/2 runs

But if baseball has taught us anything, it's that, no matter how down you might be feeling, no matter how dark it may seem, things can always get worse. And while the Fedde deal was bad enough, the Braves managed to follow it up with an even more depressing transaction less than 24 hours later.

Atlanta's injury-riddled rotation forced another move as the team acquired a veteran pitcher from New York in a low-cost trade.