Anytime a player is said to be in the starting lineup then subsequently scratched from said lineup, fans immediately begin thinking about worst case scenarios. Atlanta Braves fans were having flashbacks when top prospect Drake Baldwin was scratched from this afternoons spring lineup against the Orioles.
We later learned the reasoning isn't something we should be fearful of being a lingering problem. Earlier this afternoon, the Braves officially announced Baldwin was scratched from the lineup as precaution due to an allergic reaction and will let veteran Sandy Leon fill in at catcher. Both David O'Brien of The Athletic and Justin Toscano of the AJC have since reported Baldwin should be past the issue as early as tomorrow.
Drake Baldwin was scratched from today’s game as a precaution due to an allergic reaction.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 12, 2025
Patrick Clohisy will DH and bat fifth. Sandy León will catch. https://t.co/c6q9WkZRIH
Braves dodge bullet and avoid another injury to their catching depth
Braves catchers' have been plagued thus far in spring training as primary backstop Sean Murphy is already set to miss Opening Day after a HBP. Baldwin has since been presumed to be the guy in line for the job, and has put up encouraging spring numbers to boot.
Baldwin has gone 7-19 at the plate this spring, and is carrying a lofty .520 OBP thus far. He's shown tremendous plate discipline, already walking in six at-bats compared to just one strikeout so far. Any long-term health concerns would have put the Braves in a frenzy at catcher. Thankfully, the last couple of health updates for the Braves have gone better than expected.
It was also announced Jurickson Profar is back in camp this morning and he is confident he can be in the Opening Day lineup. So good news all around for Braves fans, and now hopefully we can quit deflecting to the nightmarish 2024 season when these injury scares pop up.
As for Baldwin, expect the left-hand hitting catcher to get plenty of run over the remainder of spring training. Not only does Baldwin have to prepare to face Major League pitching, the top prospect needs to gel with the Atlanta pitching staff so that they can hit the ground running in 2025. It will help to have a veteran like Chris Sale to guide the soon to be 24 year-old catcher along the way, until Sean Murphy is back healthy.
The Braves get their first look at the 2025 Philadelphia Phillies tomorrow afternoon, so we'll have to wait and see if Baldwin returns to the lineup against Atlanta's NL East rival.