The long, cold offseason is finally nearing its end, and soon enough, the Atlanta Braves will be back to playing meaningful baseball. The countdown to Opening Day is in full swing, and with just a couple of weeks left in camp, things are starting to take shape.
The best news? The Braves have dodged the major injury bug so far, a welcome change after the injury-riddled disaster that was 2024. That should make fans optimistic about what’s ahead.
Now, for the fun part—figuring out exactly who will be on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster. The core pieces are mostly locked in, but the real question in those final few roster spots.
One of the more interesting projections came from Braves insider Mark Bowman, who laid out his latest prediction for Atlanta’s 26-man roster.
Braves Bench and Bullpen Battles Heating Up
According to Bowman’s projection, Eli White and Nick Allen could claim the final two bench spots. White has been turning heads in camp with his strong performance, so his inclusion makes plenty of sense.
Allen, though, is a bit more of a wildcard. He brings strong defense to the table, which could help spell Orlando Arcia at shortstop, but his bat remains a question mark. Still, if the Braves prioritize defense over offensive upside for that last bench spot, Allen could sneak onto the roster.
On the pitching side, Bowman has Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson making the Opening Day rotation, with Buck Farmer and Enyel De Los Santos joining Hector Neris in the bullpen. Neris was Atlanta’s biggest bullpen acquisition this offseason. He figures to play a major role in stabilizing the relief corps.
Jurickson Profar’s Injury Scare
One of the last things the Braves wanted to deal with this spring was an injury to a key player. For a moment, it looked like their biggest offseason addition, Jurickson Profar, had suffered a significant setback. A wrist injury had Braves fans holding their breath, but fortunately, the news has been relatively positive.
While not ideal, Profar was diagnosed with a bone bruise, which is far from the worst-case scenario. The latest update suggests that he’ll take a few days off before resuming baseball activities, and he remains confident that he’ll be ready to go for Opening Day. So, for now, Braves fans can exhale and hope that Profar avoids any lingering issues.
Braves Struck Out on Yasmani Grandal
With Sean Murphy’s rough 2024 season and his recent rib injury, the Braves catching depth suddenly became a real concern. That left the team exploring options behind the plate, and as it turns out, they did make an effort to bring in a veteran presence.
A recent report revealed that Atlanta reached out to free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal with an offer back in February. Grandal, however, turned it down. The veteran backstop was likely looking for either more money or a more significant role than Atlanta was willing to offer. Given his recent struggles at the plate and age, that might be a tough question.
It looks like the Braves are rolling with Drake Baldwin as the primary catcher until Murphy returns. It’s not the ideal situation, but the team seems comfortable with the plan, given how spring training has gone so far.
The Final Stretch
The final roster battles will continue to play out over the next couple of weeks with Opening Day getting closer. The Braves are in a much better spot health-wise than they were last year, and if they can avoid any last-minute setbacks, they’ll be in a great position to start 2025 strong. Baseball is almost back, and the wait is nearly over.
