NL EAST NEWS AND NOTES

ATLANTA BRAVES

The Braves got a boost when they added 20-year-old Ronald Acuna Jr. to their lineup in late April, winning seven of the first eight games he played. He had a similar effect when he came off the disabled list June 29 — they won the first three games as Acuna went 4-for-13 with a double and a home run.

The long month was the 28 games he missed after spraining his left knee. The Braves, 3021 when Acuna was hurt, went 15-13 while he was on the DL.

Acuna said he was as emotional for his return as he had been for his major league debut.

❚ The Braves added 24-yearold left-hander ax Fried to their rotation when Brandon McCarthy went on the disabled list because of tendinitis in his right knee. Fried pitched 62 / 3 shutout innings and had 11 strikeouts June 30 in a victory over the Cardinals at St. Louis.

MIAMI MARLINS

Left-hander Caleb Smith, whose five wins lead the pitching staff, was lost for the season when he needed surgery to fix a Grade 3 lat strain. An MRI revealed the muscle tore off the bone, and while there was a chance the injury would heal without surgery, Smith still was unlikely to pitch again this year.

The Marlins acquired Smith in a minor league trade with the New York Yankees last November. He had a 7.71 ERA in nine appearances with the Yankees but improved to a 4.19 ERA in his 16 starts for the Marlins this year.

With Smith out, Jose Urena also on the disabled list and Dan Straily serving a five game suspension for throwing at San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, the Marlins turned to rookies Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez, who won their first major league starts on back-to-back nights against the Mets on June 29-30.

❚ The Yankee influence in the Marlins organization grew stronger when the team hired D.J. Svihlik as the director of amateur scouting. Svihlik spent 14 years as an area scout and crosschecker with the Yankees. He joins owner Derek Jeter, manager Don Mattingly and vice president of player development and scouting Gary Denbo as prominent Marlins with New York connections.

NEW YORK METS

A disappointing season has left the Mets with plenty of questions about their future, and those questions now extend to the front office after Sandy Alderson announced he was taking a leave of absence to deal with treatment for cancer. Alderson, who had been the Mets’ general manager since October 2010, suggested it’s unlikely he’ll return to the GM job. going forward,” Alderson said at a press conference. “And ... if I were to look at it on the merits, I’m not sure coming back is warranted.”

Rather than name a full-time replacement, the Mets handed Alderson’s duties to a trio of executives who had worked under him: assistant general manager John Ricco and special assistants J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya. That group will report to COO Jeff Wilpon and will make recommendations on how to rebuild a roster that has underperformed for the second consecutive year.

❚ Tim Tebow’s bid for a career in baseball got a boost when the former Heisman Trophy winner was named to the Class AA Eastern League All-Star team. Tebow, 30, was hitting .257 with five home runs.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

In his last 20 games before going on the disabled list because of a fractured jaw, Rhys Hoskins hit just one home run. In his first 19 games after returning, he hit eight. Did the 10 days out of the lineup help?

To protect his jaw, Hoskins is wearing a custom-built batting helmet with flaps on both sides and said he might keep it.

❚ Right-hander Vince Velasquez went on the DL after his right arm was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Nationals’ Adam Eaton on June 30. Velasquez threw the ball to first base left-handed to retire Eaton.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Juan Soto became the first teenager to collect two home runs and four hits in one game and just the fourth teenager with two multi-homer games, joining teammate Bryce Harper and Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Ken Griffey Jr.

Soto’s eight home runs in his first 35 games are also the most ever by a teenager, topping the six by Tony Conigliaro.

❚ The Nationals will honor recently retired outfielder Jayson Werth with a special night in September, 

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

SANDY ALCANTARA, MARLINS: As the Marlins try to convince their fans there building project will work, Alcantara is a key name to watch. The 22-year-old right-handed pitcher, the centerpiece of the trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals last winter, was ranked by MLB.com as the team’s No. 2 prospect. He won his first major league start, allowing one run in five innings June 29 against the Mets.