The Atlanta Braves are at it again. This time, they seem to be locking in the Opening Day catcher position. If you were hoping that veteran catcher Sandy León might sneak onto the 2025 roster, that door has officially closed.
The Braves reassigned León to minor league camp on Monday. This move clarifies that if Atlanta will have to look outside the organization if they want an experience catcher to replace injured Sean Murphy.
Drake Baldwin Gets His Shot With the Braves
Barring a last-minute move, it looks like top prospect Drake Baldwin is getting his shot as the team’s primary catcher when the season begins. The 24-year-old caught Spencer Strider’s return to the mound on March 17, which feels like a signal that the Braves are fully prepared to trust him with the job—at least for now.
With León’s reassignment, the Braves are now down to 36 players on their MLB roster, meaning 10 more cuts are coming before the final 26-man roster is set for Opening Day on March 27.
León’s Spring Training Performance
Let’s give León some credit—he made a solid first impression in Spring Training, starting off 2-for-4 with two home runs in his first three exhibition games.
But overall, his numbers cooled off in March, hitting .222 with a .389 slugging percentage in 18 at-bats. Given that he spent all last season at Triple-A Gwinnett without cracking the big-league squad, this move wasn’t a shock.
León has had a well-traveled career, playing for the Nationals, Red Sox, Guardians, Marlins, Twins, and Rangers. His most notable stretch came with Boston, where he was part of the 2018 World Series championship team. His last major league action came with Texas in 2023, where he hit just .146 with a .381 OPS in 21 games.
Baldwin and Tromp Set to Start the Season
So, with León out of the mix and Murphy still sidelined with a cracked rib (suffered on a hit-by-pitch back on February 28), the Braves are rolling with Baldwin and Chadwick Tromp as their catching tandem to open the season.
Tromp was originally slotted as Murphy’s backup, but now he’ll likely be Baldwin’s backup instead. That makes sense, given that Baldwin needs consistent playing time to keep his development on track.
The big question is if the Braves feel comfortable with Baldwin and Tromp, or will they make a late move for a veteran backstop? With just over a week until Opening Day, there’s not much time left to decide. If Baldwin’s the guy, he’s about to get thrown straight into the fire.
