4 Braves players whose roles could change after Adam Duvall signing
By Steven Teal
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.
David Fletcher, who was acquired in a trade with the Angels only to then be outrighted to Triple-A, is batting .500 (9-for-18) with 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, and 0 K this spring.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) March 5, 2024
He's vying to be the #Braves primary backup infielder. Atlanta owes Fletcher $14 million through 2025. pic.twitter.com/ekldPkgdMt
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.