Our long nightmare is almost over as the Atlanta Braves will have pitchers and catchers report early this week and the first full team workout on February 15th. Yes, that means there will be actual baseball things happening instead of just refreshing social media over and over, waiting for the next roster move (or watching the Super Bowl, to each their own).
Barring another injury outbreak, which certainly is in the cards if the Braves' recent luck is any indication, most of the Braves' roster is pretty set unless they end up signing another rotation arm. However, there are a few guys who are about to enter spring training knowing that their spot with Atlanta is anything but certain.
Here are the Braves players who need a strong spring training to stick around
If we were going for true completionism here, most of the Braves' non-roster invitees would be on this list, and that would be exceedingly tedious. Instead, we are going to focus on familiar names and/or players that could play their way in or out of a regular role in the majors with the Braves.
Nacho Alvarez Jr.
The injury to Ha-Seong Kim slightly opened the door for Nacho Alvarez Jr. to make a good impression in 2026. With his defensive acumen (particularly at third base) as well as strong bat-to-ball skills, the Braves could use another versatile infield option on their bench that can actually hit a bit.
However, Alvarez has struggled to demonstrate that his contact ability will translate to the big leagues. Combine that with the Braves bringing in both Jorge Mateo and Kyle Farmer, who are both utility infield options as well, and you have a scenario where Alvarez is going to have to show out this spring to secure a roster spot.
Bryce Elder
We have been predicting Bryce Elder's demise for a while now, and the guy just keeps finding a way to stick around. Elder isn't pretty to watch, and his peak upside is maybe a middle-of-the-rotation starter on his best days. Given the downside of his bad days, where he simply cannot get hitters out thanks to his lack of swing-and-miss stuff, it is kind of a miracle that Elder has hung around this long.
This spring could be different. The nice thing about Elder was that he had minor league options, so he could hop on the "Gwinnett shuttle" each season and come up or down from the minors as needed. Elder no longer has those options, and while that might make it more likely that he makes the Opening Day roster just because of depth considerations, he isn't going to be around for long without a strong spring showing.
Joel Payamps
Finally, we come to a somewhat unfamiliar face in Joel Payamps. Yes, it is true that Payamps did make two appearances with Atlanta in 2025, but those appearances both came in September when Braves fans were already dead inside.
However, the Braves seemed to like what they saw and brought Payamps back, but that does not mean his spot in the bullpen is a given. Payamps imploded with the Brewers last year after being a very reliable bullpen arm the last few seasons. Some of that was just rotten luck, but that also served as a warning about the volatility of every reliever. If Payamps plays well this spring, he will get one of the RHP spots in the bullpen in all likelihood. If not, it would not be a hardship for the Braves to look elsewhere.