The Atlanta Braves are off to a very strong start in 2026, and they are certainly more enjoyable to watch than they were at the beginning of last season. At 9-5, the Braves are in their rightful spot at the top of the NL East, and they managed to do it with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II dealing with rotten luck when it comes to batted ball luck. At least both managed to go deep on Friday.

With Martin Perez set to take the mound on Saturday (fingers crossed that that isn’t a disaster), here is a look at some of the news around the Braves as we get into the weekend.

Braves News: Atlanta annihilated the Guardians on Friday while Jose Suarez struggled again

Most of the news from Friday’s game was great. Bryce Elder continued to defy logic and throw a decent game, although he wasn’t as efficient as we had seen. Acuña Jr., Harris, and Matt Olson all went deep, and the offense carried the Braves to an 11-5 win.

However, not all of the performances were good. After going 0-4, new addition Mike Yastrzemski saw his average to start the season drop to .190 and his OPS drop to a paltry .592. We also got a clear look at why Jose Suarez shouldn’t be on Atlanta’s roster for much longer, as he gave up three earned runs in less than an inning of work.

Braves News: Start of Sean Murphy’s rehab got pushed back a few days

Fans have been eager to see when Sean Murphy would return, and it looked like it could be very soon when the news broke that he was set to begin a rehab assignment in Gwinnett on Friday. Murphy has been out since last September, recovering from hip surgery.

However, Murphy’s debut got pushed back a few days, but not because he had a setback. According to Braves beat writer Mark Bowman, Murphy has some sort of family matter to attend to this weekend and needed to postpone his rehab assignment until Tuesday. Hopefully, everything is okay.

Braves News: Don’t expect Atlanta to call up Didier Fuentes or JR Ritchie very soon

There were rumblings on the internets that the Braves would be calling Didier Fuentes back up to the majors in the next week. If Reynaldo Lopez’s suspension was going to actually make him miss a start, or the Braves would mercifully cut bait on Suarez and/or Perez, that would make a lot of sense to do.

However, it doesn’t sound like such a move will happen in the next week. According to another report from Bowman, the Braves’ pitching plan is pretty set for the next week or so, and it keeps everyone on their usual schedule or gives them an extra day of rest. If Fuentes and JR Ritchie keep pitching well down at Triple-A, we probably won’t have to wait much longer to see them get their chance.

It was a formality, but it still had to be done.

The Falcons are exercising their fifth-year option on All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson.

In his first three seasons, Robinson has become one of the best and most versatile running backs in the league. He was the eighth-overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft after a stellar career at Texas.

He has totaled 805 rushes for 3,910 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns, along with 198 catches for 1,738 yards and nine receiving touchdowns.

Next season, he will share the backfield with Brian Robinson, after Tyler Allgeier departed for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency.

There are only two games left on the slate for every team in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks come into Friday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers tied with the Toronto Raptors for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, but by virtue of losing the season series, the Hawks lose that tiebreaker to Toronto.

So how does the Hawks postseason fate look heading into tonight?

Magic Number

It is pretty simple for the Atlanta Hawks heading into Friday’s games. If they beat the Cavaliers, they will clinch a spot in the NBA Playoffs and avoid the play-in tournament for the first time since 2021.

Not only would the Hawks clinch a spot in the playoffs, but they would also win the division title, which would come in handy in case the Hawks come into any three way tie scenarios. If the Hawks win the division title, but find themselves in a three way tie, they would be given the tiebreaker.

Where could the Hawks end up?

In terms of seeding, the Hawks could be anywhere from 5th to 8th.

Atlanta is going to have eyes on the Raptors-Knicks matchup tonight. If Atlanta can beat Cleveland tonight and the Knicks beat the Raptors, Atlanta would be in the drivers seat for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, needing only a win against the Miami Heat on Sunday to claim the 5th seed and likely set up a postseason series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the Hawks win tonight and Toronto wins, the Hawks are likely going to end up as the No. 6 seed. The main reason for that is because Toronto ends their season with a game against the Nets on Sunday, a team that wants nothing more than to lose out and start preparing for the 2026 NBA Draft. The Hawks could use some help from the Knicks tonight if they want to be 5th, which I do think would be preferable for Atlanta. .

What if the Hawks lose tonight?

Things would get sticky for Atlanta. Depending on the results of tonight’s games involving the Hornets, Magic, and 76ers, it could mean Atlanta is in a big tie heading into Sunday.

The simplest thing for Atlanta tonight is to beat Cleveland and lock up a top four seed. If they can win and get some help from the Knicks, that would make for a great night for the Hawks.