With the Atlanta Braves' playoff spot secure, the question now becomes which players they will bring along to the Wild Card round to try to end the Braves’ playoff series drought that has existed since their 2021 World Series run. Previous projections have largely focused on the unsettled pitching roster spots, but the Braves' current catching situation could cause the true roster headache this postseason.
Having two talented catchers is not an actual problem, per se. Drake Baldwin has quickly become one of the best catchers in baseball, and Sean Murphy continues to have a strong reputation behind the plate despite some notable struggles as a hitter once he returned from the injured list.
The issue is that the Braves tend to play both Baldwin and Murphy in the same lineup pretty consistently. Based on Braves beat writer Mark Bowman's recent playoff roster prediction, Atlanta's roster alignment may be forced to include a third catcher, and that would restrict the team's flexibility this postseason.
Thoughts about how Martin Perez’s injury affects the Braves’ already-thin postseason rotation options pic.twitter.com/KMy1lrzFQr
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 25, 2026
If Mark Bowman is right, the Braves will carry a third catcher on their postseason roster, and that is a shame
Bowman absolutely has a point in his assessment of the team’s postseason roster. Reasonable people can disagree as to which relievers to carry on the roster and/or how many roster slots to devote to guys that can start or at least throw multiple innings. However, Baldwin is often the Braves' DH, which has put Murphy behind the plate in those games. Under that arrangement, going into a do-or-die playoff series without a real plan if one of Baldwin or Murphy gets hurt is asking for trouble.
In Bowman's projection, he has the Braves carrying catcher Chuckie Robinson to the playoff roster for at least the Wild Card round. Robinson is a pretty classic third/depth catcher. He can't hit a lick, but has extensive experience behind the plate and generally knows how to call a game and execute a game plan handed to him.
However, that isn't exactly exciting, is it? The Braves wouldn’t be wrong to carry a third catcher, because it is genuinely spooky without a backup plan at catcher given how the Braves operate. The other option is to keep Kyle Farmer around as an emergency catcher, and he could at least hit a bit if pressed into service. That said, relying on Farmer as a backup plan when he has ZERO big league innings at catcher since 2019 is a big ask.
This is the price the Braves are paying for not having a better option at DH and needing to play both Baldwin and Murphy. That could (and perhaps should) change down the road, especially if Murphy can't produce at the plate. Unfortunately, that doesn't solve the Braves' roster problem now, and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to avoid it.
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