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4 Braves players whose roles could change after Adam Duvall signing

The recent acquisition of a familiar face could have a ripple effect on current Braves players.

By Steven Teal |
Tampa Bay Rays v Atlanta Braves
Tampa Bay Rays v Atlanta Braves / Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/GettyImages
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The Atlanta Braves made a decent amount of moves this offseason to place a competitive product on the field in 2024. Whether that be via free agency or making trades, Atlanta seemingly covered every single one of their needs.

They extended Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez, traded for Chris Sale, signed Reynaldo Lopez, traded for Aaron Bummer, and acquired a talented outfielder in Jarred Kelenic. There were also minor moves to add bench depth, including Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher.

Despite those great additions, the Braves still had questions about their bench and who would occupy a fourth outfielder role. Well, Atlanta filled that outfield spot when they signed veteran slugger Adam Duvall on a one-year, $3 million contract.

This move put an end to a battle for the final outfield spot between Forrest Wall, Eli White, and Jordan Luplow. He was released from his contract once Duvall signed so that he could pursue an opportunity elsewhere. Luplow signed with the Phillies on a minor league deal in less than 24 hours.

Duvall's signing also brought up questions about what Jarred Kelenic's role will be now. General manager Alex Anthopoulos stated that this move was less about their belief in Kelenic's ability to perform and more about making the team better.

However, this move does have a slight ripple effect and could potentially change the roles for a few select players. Let's see who those players are and what effect, if any, this move could have on them.

4 Braves players whose roles could change after signing Duvall

Forrest Wall

Forrest Wall has been very impressive in Spring Training so far and has continued showing off his impressive speed and contact skills. He was beginning to look like the favorite to win the fourth outfielder role. Wall would still be a dangerous and great bench option but the addition of Adam Duvall does complicate that.

Carrying Wall on the roster essentially would be just for the occasional pinch-running situation. The best bet now is that Atlanta values his legs enough to carry him on the regular season roster. I don't see that happening and Wall likely gets relegated to Triple-A Gwinnett so that he can keep getting consistent at-bats.

As mentioned above, he's had a nice spring batting .346 with nine hits including three home runs and 10 RBI. Wall has also swiped two stolen bases during that time. He's been impressive to watch but Duvall is still a nice upgrade that provides pop off the bench and above-average defense in left field.

David Fletcher

David Fletcher was acquired by the Braves in December with an exchange between Atlanta and Los Angeles (Angels). Fletcher had a huge breakout with the Halos back in 2019 where he batted .290 over 154 games including 30 doubles, six homers, and 49 RBI.

He performed well again during the 2020 and 2021 seasons but wasn't able to get things going over the last two seasons. Atlanta has hopes of helping the utility infielder get back to his successful form. He would be a great right-handed bat off the bench that can play serviceable defense.

However, with the addition of Duvall, his chances of being selected are a bit slimmer. Duvall fills the need for a right-handed bench bat. Much like Wall, Fletcher may spend the majority of the 2024 season with the Gwinnett Stripers.

Marcell Ozuna

Now, Marcell Ozuna is an interesting choice here. He is having a great spring as the Braves DH. In 11 games played, he's batting .407 with 11 hits including a double, a home run, and an RBI. He's walked two times while striking out 10 which is to be expected for most power hitters.

How would his role potentially be affected by Duvall? Well, Adam presents the Braves with a second designated hitter option in the event something were to happen to Marcell whether that be injury or a drop in performance.

Travis d'Arnaud has been a great option for the Braves to fill that role in recent years but you want him to be able to focus on catching more than anything if possible. Adam provides the team with a great power option who is used to what it takes to perform daily.

I don't know that Ozuna is going to revert to being the bad version of himself at the plate but this is baseball and you never know when things could go awry.

Jarred Kelenic

The most obvious answer to this question is Jarred Kelenic as he's expected to platoon with Adam Duvall in left field. The Braves haven't said for sure how much playing time each player will get but I imagine Kelenic will have most of the playing time being a left-handed hitter.

At first glance, platooning each player doesn't make a ton of sense from a statistical point of view as their splits from 2023 are nearly identical.

Duvall 2023 splits: 

vs. RHP: .248/.312/.551 w/ .863 OPS 13 doubles 18 HR and 46 RBI in 84 games

vs. LHP: .244/.280/.477 w/ .756 OPS 11 doubles 3 HR and 12 RBI in 48 games

Kelenic 2023 splits: 

vs. RHP: .251/.330/.408 w/ .738 OPS 22 doubles 7 HR 34 RBI in 99 games 

vs. LHP: .259/.315/.459 w/ .774 OPS 3 doubles 4 HR and 15 RBI in 54 games

Those numbers show Atlanta will likely get a similar level of production from either player. The numbers are so similar against lefties and righties that a platoon almost doesn't make a ton of sense. However, this is about more than just who can be the better statistical darling.

Atlanta believes in Kelenic and is trying to help him get back to the confident and talented hitter he was before things went south with Seattle. Believe it or not, the team helped his confidence even more with the Duvall situation.

In a report from Justin Toscano from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ($), he spoke with Kelenic about the moment he found out the Braves had signed Adam Duvall. Brian Snitker and Alex Anthopoulos sat down with the lefty slugger and told him about the deal and how they planned on using the pair of outfielders.

The 24-year-old understood this and mentioned, “Adam’s gonna help us come in and win games, and at the end of the day, that’s what’s most important. It’s about the team. Set the ego aside, and let’s win.”

Kelenic was appreciative of the transparency and respect the organization has for him to make sure he understands this move is for the betterment of the team and not an indictment on himself or his performance. At the end of the day, this season is all about trying to win a World Series and Duvall is a move that improves this team.

Snitker reportedly told Jarred, “If Adam Duvall would’ve been on this team, we still would’ve traded for you and wanted you.” That shows you just how highly the team really does value his talent and believes in his ability to get himself back to form.

Further, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer is taking the right approach with helping Kelenic fix his swing and explains why it wasn't immediately noticed in Spring Training. He understands these players are more than just that. It's important to get to know the individual before trying to make any changes. This helps build rapport and trust before embarking on a tough process.

Seitzer told the Wisconsin native, “You just need to go be who you were and not who you expect to be right now. Just get back to having fun playing baseball, let the athleticism play out.” That right there shows despite his role changing to a platoon role, this organization clearly has faith in Kelenic and has no plans to abandon him so soon.

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