With September right around the corner, there has been plenty of speculation which players the Atlanta Braves will give the call to join the big league squad. Some assumed Atlanta would use the spots to activate Reynaldo Lopez from the IL and add budding prospect Patrick Clohisy for his speed.
The Braves, apparently, had other ideas. Multiple Braves media members reported both infielder Kyle Farmer and pitcher Blake Burkhalter had lockers with the team.
Kyle Farmer and Blake Burkhalter are here today. They’ll be added when rosters expand tomorrow
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 31, 2026
Braves make big hints at September call-ups with clubhouse lock assignments for Blake Burkhalter and Kyle Farmer
Burkhalter will be joining the big league squad for the first time. The 25-year-old was drafted by Atlanta in the second round in 2022. Initially a starter, the Braves have used him exclusively out of the bullpen this year in the minors, and he's impressed. In 24.1 innings with the Stripers this season, he has a 1.48 ERA and 2.77 FIP.
Burkhalter leapfrogs a few other options the Braves had on the 40-man roster, but it appears Atlanta is intrigued by the righty's 29.6% strikeout-rate that's paired with a decent 9.2% walk-rate in the minors. Burkhalter throws a four-seamer that averages 94.4 MPH, and ranks 15th on the Braves top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.
Farmer makes for an interesting 14th position player. Not only is Farmer not on the 40-man roster, he's struggled in the minors since being DFA'd in mid-July. In his 24 games with the Stripers since re-signing with the organization, Farmer has slashed .256/.306/.256.
One reason the Braves are opting to go with Farmer over another position player like Patrick Clohisy is Farmer's ability to catch. Recently, the Braves have been using Sean Murphy to catch and Drake Baldwin as the DH more frequently, which leaves them vulnerable to lose the DH late in games.
Technically, adding Farmer gives the Braves a third catcher, without needing to call up an actual catcher that might hurt the minor league depth. Additionally, since the Braves are already fairly reluctant to use their 13th position player, they're likely to use their 14th position player even less. Farmer has shown to be able to handle long stretches without appearing in a game. After all, despite being on the Braves active roster for over 55 days in the regular season this year, he's only appeared in 16 MLB games with 15 plate appearances.
Even though both Farmer and Burkhalter received lockers with the big league club before the Braves makeup game versus the Giants on Monday, they won't be activated until they head to Washington on Tuesday, when rosters expand.
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