Braves welcome back Mike Yastrzemski from the IL, but his return cost them bench depth

When Atlanta Braves outfielder Mike Yastrzemski went on the injured list right before the All-Star break with elbow inflammation, there was some concern that he could be out for a while. Thankfully, this was not the case, and the 35-year-old only spent the minimum on the IL, missing just six games.

With Yastrzemski coming back, the Braves had a roster crunch that forced infielder Kyle Farmer off the roster.

Mike Yastrzemski's return forces unfortunate roster crunch that cost Kyle Farmer his job

Yastrzemski has had a rollercoaster season. The lefty had a disappointing .555 OPS through the first month of the season, which made the multi-year deal he had signed with Atlanta this offseason look like a bust.

However, Yastrzemski turned it around in May, hitting his first three homers in a Braves uniform with a .953 OPS for the month. Then, in June, his fortunates once again completely flipped, and he had a .468 OPS in June.

This July, he was smoking the ball, and had a .971 OPS through his first 10 games of June. Unfortunately, he exited in the first game of the final series of the first half with elbow inflammation. After missing six games, Yastrezemski returned from the IL.

To make room for him on the active roster, Atlanta released Kyle Farmer. Farmer, a Georgia native, was never really able to establish any playing time with the Braves. The right-handed infielder made the Opening Day roster, but only appeared in 12 games with the Braves, getting just one start.

He spent nearly two months on the IL with a forearm injury, but once he returned to the active roster on July 4, he got into just two games, getting one plate appearance. The Braves certainly liked what Farmer brought to the clubhouse, but there simply wasn't much playing time for him. He slashed .267/.250/.333 with a 60 OPS+ in his 16 plate appearances.

Farmer is just the first of several roster casualities that will come for the Braves in the coming days. Both Ronald Acuña Jr andHa-Seong Kim are on their rehab assignments, and the trade deadline is quickly approaching. The roster might look very different in the next two weeks.

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This article was originally published on housethathankbuilt.com as Braves welcome back Mike Yastrzemski from the IL, but his return cost them bench depth.