The deeper we get into spring training, the greater the odds that those still in camp can crack the Atlanta Braves' Opening Day roster. Getting cut during camp does not mean your career is over, but instead is a reflection of the team's short-term needs, as well as acknowledging that now is not your time just yet. That said, the Braves' roster cuts on Thursday still raised a few eyebrows.
Atlanta is in real need of arms they can trust, who also have real upside. While pitching prospect Jhancarlos Lara's trustworthiness is a little suspect given his track record of command issues, there are few pitchers in the organization that can compete with his upside. At the end of the day, you can't really teach "throws the ball really hard".
Still, it looks like Lara will have to try and work his way to the majors via the minors again, as he was included in the Braves' latest round of cuts from camp.
Jhancarlos Lara has been optioned to Gwinnett
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) March 5, 2026
Austin Pope, Jim Jarvis, Alex Lodise and Luke Waddell have been reassigned to minor league camp.
Now 54 active players in Braves camp.
Braves cut 5 players from their spring training roster, including promising flamethrower Jhancarlos Lara
Lara was not a lock to make the Opening Day bullpen or rotation by any stretch. Depending on who you talk to, Lara's future could still be either as a starter with great raw stuff or a reliever who can use the shorter stints to really reach back and let it rip. With a rotation spot looking out of reach, it is possible that Atlanta doesn't want to shift Lara to relief only just yet. Now that he has been optioned already, you can bet that Lara will be back with the Braves at some point in 2026, as it wouldn't cost the team a minor league option somewhere.
The other cuts were pretty straightforward. Alex Lodise could end up being in the conversation at shortstop before too long, but John Gil has made a great impression, while Lodise hasn't really done anything to stand out. Austin Pope, Jim Jarvis, and Luke Waddell were fringe roster candidates from the get-go, although it would not be that crazy to see Waddell coming up at some point and occupying a bench utility role.
With the current pace of roster cuts, we are going to have a really good picture of what the Braves' plans are going to be right out of camp. Unfortunately, it looks like Lara didn't do enough to be a part of those plans, as fun as that would have been.