{"id":691271,"date":"2026-05-05T21:39:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/691271\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T21:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:39:24","slug":"braves-player-sends-message-to-matt-olson-after-career-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/691271\/","title":{"rendered":"Braves Player Sends Message to Matt Olson After Career Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/atlanta-braves\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Atlanta Braves;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Atlanta Braves&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Atlanta Braves<\/a> have started to the season red-hot at 25-11. Much of that surge stems from <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/10-greatest-first-basemen-major-league-baseball-history\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:first baseman;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;first baseman&quot;}\" class=\"link \">first baseman<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/tag\/matt-olson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Matt Olson;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Matt Olson&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Matt Olson<\/a>, one of the game\u2019s most dangerous bats this year.<\/p>\n<p>A former <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/athletics\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Athletics;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Athletics&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Athletics<\/a> first baseman, he was acquired by the Braves in a blockbuster 2021 trade and later signed an eight-year, $168 million extension with the club.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Olson came through at the plate despite the defeat. In a 5-4 loss to the <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/seattle-mariners\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Seattle Mariners;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Seattle Mariners&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Seattle Mariners<\/a>, the 32-year-old went 1-for-3, launching a solo home run in the sixth inning. He continues to be a steady presence in the heart of the order, barreling pitches and providing consistent production for Atlanta\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) \u00a9 Brett Davis-Imagn Images\u00a9 Brett Davis-Imagn Images\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f26ea99c6d594667a188e173b13f407a.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) \u00a9 Brett Davis-Imagn Images\u00a9 Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>Monday night\u2019s game also marked Olson\u2019s 300th career home run, making him the 166th member of this elite club. It was his fifth homer in the past eight games, drawing praise from teammates and coaches alike.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Teammate <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/12366\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:AJ Smith-Shawver;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;AJ Smith-Shawver&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">AJ Smith-Shawver<\/a> reposted a message on Instagram on Tuesday recognizing Olson\u2019s achievement, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/aj.smithshawver\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:writing;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;writing&quot;}\" class=\"link \">writing<\/a>, \u201cIs that good??\u201d as a playful nod to the team\u2019s clubhouse chemistry. Smith-Shawver is currently on the 60-day injured list, recovering from Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow.<\/p>\n<p>The right-hander, drafted by Atlanta in the seventh round in 2021, has spent just over three seasons with the club as a top prospect and spot starter.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Olson is putting together a dominant season, leading the National League with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs while adding 15 doubles. Through 36 games, he posted a .300 batting average, .383 on-base percentage, and a 1.047 OPS.<\/p>\n<p>The three-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger has become a centerpiece of Atlanta\u2019s offense, powering the lineup as the Braves sit atop <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:MLB;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;MLB&quot;}\" class=\"link \">MLB<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If Smith-Shawver returns around the 2026 All-Star break, he could give the rotation a boost, assuming a smooth recovery.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/blake-snell-sends-message-shohei-190107239.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Related: Blake Snell Sends Message to Shohei Ohtani After MLB\u2019s Announcement;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Related&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Related: Blake Snell Sends Message to Shohei Ohtani After MLB\u2019s Announcement<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This story was originally published by <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/atlanta-braves\/matt-olson-aj-smith-shawver-braves-mariners-game\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Athlon Sports;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Athlon Sports&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Athlon Sports<\/a> on May 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:MLB;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;MLB&quot;}\" class=\"link \">MLB<\/a> section. Add Athlon Sports as a <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=athlonsports.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Preferred Source by clicking here.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Preferred Source by clicking here.&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Atlanta Braves have started to the season red-hot at 25-11. Much of that surge stems from first&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":691272,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2394],"tags":[1266,191,46,4166,5,192,541,4,65],"class_list":["post-691271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-atlanta-braves","tag-aj-smith-shawver","tag-atlanta","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-atlantabraves","tag-baseball","tag-braves","tag-matt-olson","tag-mlb","tag-seattle-mariners"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116524140063215075","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}