Atlanta's last five is a mixed bag — a signature win over Baltimore, then getting outscored 3-14 by the exact team standing across the diamond tonight. That kind of collapse either gets answered immediately or it snowballs, and Sale's turn on the mound is about as good a circuit breaker as a staff can ask for. Christian Scott, meanwhile, needs to prove last week's clunker against Milwaukee — 3.2 innings, 3 earned, a loss — was the outlier and not the trend.
- 10-Day-ILHa-Seong Kim (SS) — Atlanta announced Monday that Kim (finger) will begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.07/13
- 15-Day-ILRobert Suarez (RP) — Suarez (elbow) played catch on the field at Truist Park on Friday, Harrison Smajovits of SI.com reports.07/17
- 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.05/08
- 60-Day-ILAJ Smith-Shawver (SP) — Smith-Shawver (elbow) is expected to make one more rehab start before being activated from the injured list, Ian Quillen of MLB.com reports.07/25
- 60-Day-ILSean Murphy (C) — Murphy (finger) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, Harrison Smajovits of SI.com reports.07/23
- 60-Day-ILSpencer Schwellenbach (SP) — Schwellenbach (elbow) has been cleared to throw bullpen sessions, MLB.com reports.07/21
- 60-Day-ILSpencer Strider (SP) — Strider (elbow) will have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Keith Meister next week and may also be scheduled for an MRI, Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.07/18
- 60-Day-ILJoe Jimenez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss revealed Wednesday that Jimenez underwent another surgery on his left knee 3-to-4 weeks ago, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/13
- 60-Day-ILJoey Wentz (RP) — Atlanta placed Wentz (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
- 10-Day-ILJuan Soto (LF) — The Mets placed Soto (calf) on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a strained left calf.07/25
- 10-Day-ILMark Vientos (1B) — Mets interim manager Andy Green said Thursday that Vientos has been diagnosed with a fractured right hand and will be placed on the 10-day injured list, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.07/10
- 15-Day-ILAustin Warren (RP) — An MRI on Warren's right forearm revealed no ligament damage Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.07/09
- 60-Day-ILClay Holmes (SP) — Holmes (fibula) pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two batters in his rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.07/24
- 60-Day-ILJustin Hagenman (RP) — The Mets announced June 1 that Hagenman (rib) has yet to resume a throwing program, MLB.com reports.07/13
- 60-Day-ILDedniel Nunez (RP) — Nunez (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on Thursday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.06/25
- 60-Day-ILReed Garrett (RP) — The Mets placed Garrett (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILTylor Megill (SP) — The Mets placed Megill (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.05/08
Soto's absence changes the math for the Mets no matter how well Scott pitches; losing your best bat for even a short IL stint tends to cool off a lineup that had just found a groove. Atlanta's issues run deeper structurally — Strider, Schwellenbach and Smith-Shawver are all rehabbing arm injuries, which is why Sale carrying the rotation matters so much every fifth day.
However this one actually played out on the field, it's a reminder that both of these clubs are trying to win with a diminished roster — Atlanta banking on frontline pitching to cover for a wounded staff, the Mets hoping a healthy Soto turns a scrappy stretch into something more sustainable.