The Braves have placed 34-year old lefty reliever George Sherrill on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 27th, due to a case of left elbow inflammation. Sherrill has pitched in 51 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He has whiffed 38 batters in his first 36 innings for the Braves this year as he has his career back on the right track. By putting Sherrill on the D.L., the Braves didn’t need to send anyone to the minors to make room on the active roster for new outfielder Matt Diaz.

21-year old lefty swinging 1B Freddie Freeman is having a very solid rookie year for the Braves. He has played in 129 games for the Braves so far and he is 138 for 475 (.291 avg, .816 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 18 homers, 64 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. August as a tad slow for Freeman as he has played in 24 games so far this month in which he is 23 for 87 (.264 avg, .703 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 12 RBIs. The Braves hope that Freeman finishes the year strongly for the Braves, who are fighting for a playoff spot.

The Braves have acquired 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Matt Diaz from the Pirates for a player to be named later. Diaz played in 100 games for the Pirates this year and he was 56 for 216 (.259 avg, .627 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 19 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 659 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 509 for 1,720 (.296 avg, .783 OPS) with 199 runs scored, 43 homers, 211 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. His best years have come with the Braves. He played for them from 2006-2010, appearing in 511 games in which he was 423 of 1,385 (.305 avg, .815 OPS) with 173 runs scored, 41 homers, 180 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Braves as they hope Diaz will provide them with a spark off the bench in September.

The Atlanta Braves need 36-year old righty starting pitcher Derek Lowe to finish this season strongly. He has pitched in 28 games (all starts) for the Braves this year and he is 8-12 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Lowe is in the 3rd year of a 4 year, $60 million dollar deal for the Braves. He has pitched in 95 games (all starts) in his first three years for the Braves and he is 39-34 with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Lowe has been dependable in his first three years as he always takes the ball when it’s his turn to pitch. But, the Braves need him to start getting better results.

39-year old switch-hitting 3B Chipper Jones is proving that he can still rank even in his old age (baseball wise). Jones has played in 12 games so far in August and he is 17 for 42 (.405 avg, 1.125 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. He has now played in 94 games for the Braves this year and he is 94 for 340 (.276 avg, .815 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 12 homers, 57 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Jones has always been a big game player so I look for him to stay hot at the plate as the Braves surge to the N.L. Wildcard spot.

The Braves have signed 24-year old righty reliever Juan Jaime to a 2-year minor league deal. He has not pitched since undergoing Tommy John Surgery last April, so the Braves will let him continue to rehab with the idea of getting him back into the mix in 2012. Jaime has pitched in 42 games (14 starts) in his first four years in the minors and he is 10-3 with a 1 save, a 2.42 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He has only given up 69 hits while whiffing 146 batters in his first 111 2/3 innings in the minors, which is pretty impressive. But, he has also walked 71 batters and that is way too many. This was a good move for the Braves with an eye on the future as Jaime has a big time arm when he’s healthy.

The Braves have signed 35-year old righty swinging 1B/3B Wes Helms to a minor league deal. Helms played in 69 games earlier this year for the Marlins and he was 21 for 110 (.191 avg, .513 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 0 homers and 6 RBIs. He has now played in 1,212 games in his first 13 years in the majors and he is 694 of 2,711 (.256 avg, .723 OPS) with 280 runs scored, 75 homers, 374 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Helms could help out the Braves in September as a pinch hitter if he can get into a groove.

28-year old lefty swinging CF Michael Bourn has been just what the doctor ordered. He has been playing great defense in CF and he is injected a ton of speed into the station to station offensive attack of the Braves. Bourn has played in 14 games for the Braves so far this year and he is 17 for 57 (.298 avg, .706 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 0 homers, 9 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Bourn’s speed on the basepaths and in the field make the Braves a much better team.

27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jose Constanza has been electric since coming up from the minors for the Braves. He has played in 17 games for the Braves so far this year and he is 25 for 62 (.403 avg, .988 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 9 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Constanza can play anywhere in the outfield and his super hot bat has been hard to keep out of the lineup. Look for him to keep stealing P.T. away from Jason Heyward (if he keeps struggling).

21-year old righty swinging shortstop Andrelton Simmons came into this season as the Braves’ #15 prospect according to Baseball America. Simmons has played in 111 games in A-ball so far this year for the Braves and he is 130 for 435 (.299 avg, .721 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 0 homers, 48 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. He has now played in 173 games in his first two years in the minors and he is 196 for 674 (.291 avg, .712 OPS) with 89 runs scored, 2 homers, 74 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. Simmons likely has a bright future with the Braves down the road.