It’s that time of year again—Atlanta Braves Spring Training is in full swing, and Opening Day is coming up fast. We’re less than three weeks away from real, meaningful baseball; with that, the roster picture is taking shape.
David O’Brien of The Athletic took another crack at predicting what Atlanta’s 26-man roster will look like when the season kicks off, and for the most part, there aren’t too many surprises—at least not yet. The top three spots in the rotation are locked in with Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, and Spencer Schwellenbach.
But what about the back end? O’Brien believes Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson will round things out, and as of now, nothing has happened to change that projection.
Ian Anderson: Wild but Effective
Now, let’s talk about Ian Anderson for a second. The guy hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022, thanks to Tommy John surgery, and he’s been a bit wild so far this spring. Nine walks in eight innings is rough.
But he’s also only allowed two hits and one run, and opponents are batting a minuscule .080 against him. Even when he’s missing the zone, hitters aren’t doing much damage when he does find it.
O’Brien pointed out that Anderson’s control issues aren’t necessarily new—he’s never been a strikeout-to-walk ratio kind of pitcher. The good news? His stuff is still effective. And after two lost seasons, just getting back into rhythm might be the most important thing for him right now.
Grant Holmes Making His Case
Holmes, meanwhile, has been solid in limited action. Through two appearances (five innings), he’s put up a 1.80 ERA, struck out four, and held opposing batters to a .118 average. It’s a small sample size, but the early returns are encouraging.
He also has one big advantage—like Anderson, he’s out of minor-league options. That means if the Braves wanted to give someone like AJ Smith-Shawver or Bryce Elder a rotation spot instead, they’d have to risk losing Holmes on waivers. And given how valuable pitching depth is, that seems unlikely.
The Braves Rotation Is Set—For Now
O’Brien summed it up pretty well: unless someone gets hurt or completely falls apart before the end of camp, this is the group the Braves will roll with to start the season.
That means your Opening Day rotation is looking like Sale, López, Schwellenbach, Holmes, and Anderson. Of course, things can always change, but Atlanta appears to be prioritizing stability right now. And with a team that has World Series aspirations, that’s exactly what they need.
