Of all the positions on the field, the Atlanta Braves are probably the most certain at catcher and first base. Drake Baldwin was going to get the lion's share of the playing time behind the plate even before Sean Murphy's injury, thanks to his strong Rookie of the Year campaign. As for first base, there is little chance that the famously durable Matt Olson, who has played in 162 games in four straight seasons, is going to yield playing time anytime soon. However, that doesn't mean that the Braves shouldn't prepare just in case something does happen to Olson.
As consistently available as Olson has been, the Braves tempting the injury gods seems like a really bad idea given their recent luck. They are already dealing with injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach as well as Hurston Waldrep, among others, so they can't afford to be complacent when it comes to depth across the roster. That is probably exactly why the Braves went out and signed Dominic Smith to a minor league deal.
The Braves have added veteran infielder Dominic Smith as a non-roster invite to spring training.
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) February 17, 2026
Smith appeared in 63 games with the Giants in 2025.
Braves sign Dominic Smith in roster move that better not matter much, or Atlanta is in big trouble
The odds that signing Smith impacts the Braves' 2026 season significantly one way or another are very, very low. Despite what some Braves fans think, Olson is one of the absolute best first basemen in all of baseball and is more likely than not to play a full season. However, adding Smith, who the Braves are quite familiar with from his time with the Mets, gives them another lefty first base option in the event that the worst-case scenario happens.
That said, the Braves better hope they don't need Smith for any appreciable length of time. Smith was previously lauded for his defense at first base, and he does have a little pop, but a career .720 OPS, including a brutal showing from 2021 to 2024, is a reminder that his bat never really became worthy of an everyday lineup spot. There is good reason why Smith has bounced around the league a bit since leaving the Mets with stops with the Red Sox and Reds before playing for the Giants in 2025 to mixed results.
In short, this is a signing that is for some roster depth and probably little else. If it comes out that Olson is also hurt in camp, then a closer look at what Smith could provide would make sense. Of course, if Olson is hurt, the Braves have bigger problems than how much playing time Smith is going to get.