The Philadelphia Phillies are expecting some serious competition in the NL East after back-to-back division championships. The division has always been tough, but it looks to be more loaded than usual in 2026.
The Atlanta Braves took a step back in 2025 but will look to be much better and back to being one of the best teams in the National League in 2026. They may have the right pieces in place to make that happen, but they also need a lot to go their way to take the division back from the Phillies. Sometimes clubs require a bit of good fortune to get them through, but the Braves are already dealing with an injury to their new shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.
Phillies lucky they don't have Braves' injury luck, or lackthereof
The middle of the offseason is the least expected time to find players getting themselves injured. The regular season is still months away, but Kim already finds himself having to follow an extended recovery time. Seemingly out of the blue, Kim had to undergo surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger after slipping on ice in his native Korea. The timetable for Kim's expected return is four to five months, which would be mid-May to mid-June.
Kim was released by the Tampa Bay Rays, then claimed off waivers by the Braves in September. Kim finished out the season hitting .234 but only played in 48 total games due to back and shoulder issues for most of the season. Kim then re-signed with the Braves on a one-year, $20 million contract.
Kim's expectation to miss around two months of action is a shock, but not new to what the Braves have experienced the last couple of seasons. Atlanta missed significant action from most of their stars in 2025, either from new injuries or recovering from previous injuries in 2024.
Just look at this laundry list of just some of the Braves' ailments from the past two seasons:
- Sean Murphy, C (Right hip labral tear)
- Austin Riley, 3B (Lower abdominal strain)
- Ozzie Albies, 2B (Left hand hamate bone fracture)
- Ronald Acuña Jr., OF (ACL tear)
- Spencer Strider, RHP (UCL tear)
- Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP (Right elbow fracture)
- Chris Sale, LHP (Fractured left rib)
- Joe Jiménez, RHP (Left knee surgery)
- Grant Holmes, RHP (Right elbow inflammation)
- Reynaldo López, RHP (Right shoulder inflammation)
- AJ Smith-Shawver, RHP (Tommy John surgery)
The young stars are what make the Braves dangerous for the long term, but Phillies fans just saw the other side of that coin when they can't stay on the field. Kim already had his issues staying healthy in 2025 and isn't starting on a great foot in 2026 either.
The Phillies' younger players haven't always been able to elevate to the next level in terms of star power. It's what has held them up come postseason time. It's been a frustration, but at least the Phillies have been relatively healthy since this World Series window has begun. Whether it's the Phillies' strength and conditioning or the players' durability, it's helped the Phillies' sustainability during this run.