The Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Joc Pederson from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in exchange for a minor league prospect.
The Cubs will begin the second half Friday with a 44-46 record, eight games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee. The Braves are 44-45 and four games behind NL East-leading New York. The Braves are 7.0 back and the Cubs are 7.5 back in the wild-card chase.
The Braves sent the Cubs 23-year-old first baseman Bryce Ball, who has six home runs in 53 games for Single-A Rome. The Braves took Ball in the 24th round of the 2019 draft.