The 2025 regular season starts this week and the Atlanta Braves have a few final decisions to make. It has been a spring full of surprise additions and subtractions but the picture has become a bit more clear over the last week.
There have been reunions with former players, surprise outfield additions, and interesting roster decisions. It is shaping up to be an interesting start to the season for Atlanta. With the season quickly approaching, let's give one last Opening Day roster projection.
Final Braves Opening Day roster prediction: Atlanta carries a very deep roster into San Diego
Starting rotation:
- Chris Sale
- Reynaldo Lopez
- Spencer Schwellenbach
- Grant Holmes
- A.J. Smith-Shawver
The rotation is pretty much solidified but the Braves do have to make a final decision on the last two spots. Ian Anderson's issues with walking batters may have doomed him from grabbing one of them. Holmes has looked decent and Smith-Shawver turned heads with how well he's developed his cutter.
Bullpen:
- Ian Anderson
- Dylan Lee
- Daysbel Hernandez
- Enyel De Los Santos
- Hector Neris
- Aaron Bummer
- Pierce Johnson
- Raisel Iglesias
Atlanta's bullpen is a big point of contention as it's a tad weaker than last season. There were a lot of names in the running but with the recent additions of Neris, De Los Santos, and Baldwin to the MLB roster, that picture has cleared up for the moment. Anderson could still make the roster as the long relief option but Bryce Elder is also still somehow in the picture for that as well.
Neris has pitched well in camp thanks to his excellent splitter. The Braves seem confident in his ability to perform. De Los Santos is a bit of a surprise but he has pitched well with a high velocity fastball and allowing just two runs over 6.2 innings. Atlanta could also add Craig Kimbrel at some point once he's gotten some time to pitch in the minors.
Our first look at Héctor Neris went quite well.
— Gaurav (@gvedak) March 15, 2025
1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K
Here's that splitter that's been such a weapon for him pic.twitter.com/xKz5kNNVnX
Catchers:
- Drake Baldwin
- Chadwick Tromp
Sean Murphy's injury opened the door for Atlanta's top prospect to make the Opening Day roster. Baldwin has been lights out this spring and has hit the ball well. He's also shown great plate discipline which is indicated by his seven walks to three strikeouts and .378 OBP.
Murphy is expected to resume some baseball activities this week but until he's able to return, Baldwin and Tromp will hold down the fort.
Infielders:
- Matt Olson
- Ozzie Albies
- Orlando Arcia
- Austin Riley
- Nick Allen
There aren't really any surprises here. Arcia has been bad offensively this spring but he's more than valuable defensively. Allen will be a nice bench depth piece to have in case Arcia needs a day off to clear his head. Olson, Albies, and Riley will hope to return to their 2023 ways.
Outfielders:
- Jurickson Profar
- Michael Harris II
- Jarred Kelenic
- Bryan De La Cruz
- Eli White
Designated hitter:
- Marcell Ozuna
Again, not a lot of real surprises here. The outfield has lined up exactly how we expected. Now, there is the wrinkle of Alex Verdugo possibly making the MLB roster in about a month. However, Kelenic and De La Cruz each have minor league options. Once Acuna Jr. returns, the Braves will have one of the best outfields in baseball.
Atlanta will begin the season on Thursday March 27th in San Diego. Luckily the team won't have to fly from Florida to California and start the season super jet lagged. They will play two games against the Cubs on Monday and Tuesday next week in Arizona. This will give them a few days to adjust to the time difference.
The best time of the year is almost upon us. Let's hope the Braves can give us a season to remember.
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