As soon as spring training started, the Atlanta Braves were hit immediately hit by two big starting pitching injuries, with the team losing both Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep for the first two months of the season.
Even with these pitching injuries, and the Braves failure to sign a legitimate starter, the club still had enough depth, that pitchers like Didier Fuentes, who had options, seemed like longshots to make the Opening Day roster.
However, after three spring training appearances, the 20-year-old Fuentes might have forced the Braves to go against their stubborn desire for depth.
Didier Fuentes's unhittable spring has earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster
For Braves fans who haven't paid much attention to the Braves spring training this year (which would be completely understandable considering how electric the World Baseball Classic was), Fuentes's name being up for consideration might be surprising, especially considering how his season in the bigs last year.
Fuentes, who started the 2025 season at just 19-years-old, blew through the minors, making a surprising debut just a few days after his 20th birthday. However, his cup of coffee did not go well, as he was hammered for 20 runs in just 13 innings. He was sent down at the beginning of July and didn't throw another major league inning in 2025.
Coming into spring training, there didn't seem to be a spot for Fuentes, even with there being a high likelihood the team went with a six-man rotation to begin the season. Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder, Martín Pérez, and likely even Carlos Carrasco were ahead of him for one final rotation spot. Even among prospects, J.R. Ritchie seemed more likely to crack the roster out of camp.
Even after Schwellenbach and Waldrep went down, Fuentes would have needed to hop at least two starters in line, and considering Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves front office's preference for depth, that seemed impossible.
With Elder being out of options, and Pérez and Carrasco being veterans who could opt out if they didn't make the Opening Day roster, it seemed natural that Fuentes would be the odd man out unless he was perfect this spring.
Although Fuentes hasn't quite meet the literal definition of perfection, he came as close to it as possible. Across three games, Fuentes faced 27 hitters, getting 26 of them out, and striking out 17 batters. The one batter who did manage to reach base this spring off of Fuentes was via a hit-by-pitch, which happened to be the first batter he faced.
If Fuentes 0.00 ERA this spring was a product of luck, it would be understandable for the Braves to prioritize the depth that they have in pitchers like Pérez and Elder, but as evidenced by his 17 strikeouts, batters just haven't been able to touch Fuentes.
Additionally, there is merit in putting Fuentes on the opening day roster. If the Braves option him to start the year and burn his option, he'd enter 2027 with just one option remaining while being just 21 to start the season. Atlanta may as well see if Fuentes can stick at the major level this season and possibly perserving his options.
With the way Fuentes is pitching, his ceiling is no doubt higher than that of Martín Perez and Bryce Elder, and if the Braves want to compete in this tough division, it might be worth the risk to give Fuentes a spot on the Opening Day roster.