5 Braves players fighting for their futures ahead of 2024 season
Several players down at spring training with the Braves are just trying to hang on for dear life for a shot in the big leagues this season.
For the Atlanta Braves, the vast majority of the players that they have down in spring training could be considered to be in the middle of their primes. The Braves' roster is largely pretty young, but with enough experience to get that veteran label. It is easy to forget that while Atlanta has a bunch of 20-somethings on the team, a lot of those guys have contributed to six straight NL East division titles and multiple deep playoff runs.
That said, there are some other types of guys in camp for the Braves this year. Of course there are the prospects that are just happy to get to experience big league camp with little to no chance of making the team by Opening Day. However, there are also guys that are in camp that are just trying to get one last chance to stick in the big leagues.
It is that latter group that we will be focusing on here. Given that the Braves are basically locked in on the position player side of things, the players that Atlanta has in camp this year that fit the bill are all pitchers as they could actually win a job. Some are wily veterans that have had to battle adversity. Others are guys without a ton of experience, but who are running out of chances to solidify a big league role.
With the explanations out of the way, here are a few of the guys that the Braves have in camp that are fighting for their futures and their careers in 2024.
Huascar Ynoa
While there has always been a healthy amount of disagreement as to whether Huascar Ynoa should have been a starter or a reliever, everyone agrees that he has a very live arm. When he is right, his fastball sits in the mid-90's and has some life and his slider can make guys look foolish. After a promising start to his career, however, Ynoa finds himself at a crossroads with his career with the Braves.
At the end of the 2022 season, Ynoa underwent Tommy John surgery. That, in itself, isn't that big of a problem given that a lot of guys have TJS in their careers. The problem is that while Ynoa has been out, the Braves have assembled a stacked bullpen and with Ynoa's future as a starter very much in doubt, one wonders where Ynoa fits in the Braves' future plans if he does at all.
Fast forward to this spring where Ynoa was expected to compete for a spot on the pitching staff somewhere and he instead has been slowed by soreness in his repaired elbow. Ynoa needs to hope that he can get back to throwing soon and remind the Braves of why they have hung on to him this long, because otherwise he may find that the Braves will simply have to move on from him to other options that can actually stay on the mound.
Ken Giles
Ken Giles is one of the more fun stories from spring training. The Braves signed Giles to a minor league deal right before the start of camp and for many, it was merely a curiosity given Giles previous success and everything he has gone through since then. However, Giles has come into camp ready to seize the opportunity and he just might pull it off.
Giles may not quite have the triple digit power stuff that he once had before injuries set him back over the last few years, but he has looked really good in spring training so far. After starting off as a long shot to make the Braves' bullpen, the recent move to put Daysbel Hernandez back in MiLB camp now has Giles with a real chance of getting one last shot at the big leagues with the Braves. If he flames out again now at 33 years old and with his injury history, he might not get another chance.
Jackson Stephens
Jackson Stephens has been battling for a long-time to stay in the big leagues. He was forced to go play in the Mexican League for a couple years before the Braves decided to pull the trigger and sign him. Ever since, he has always been on the bubble when it comes to a spot in the bullpen as a guy that can throw multiple innings. Occasionally he will get a shot and see some action, but usually not for a lengthy stretch of time.
Stephens is just 29, but this season is one that feels like he really needs to impress people down at spring training. The Braves' bullpen is LOADED at the moment and between adding Reynaldo Lopez, some of Atlanta's young starter arms that may need to move to relief roles, and the competition for innings amongst the guys entrenched in the bullpen, Stephens has an uphill climb to sticking around with the Braves.
Dylan Lee
The stars aligned for Dylan Lee during the 2022 season. After a fairly disastrous debut in the 2021 World Series of all times, Lee was a revelation for the Braves the following season where he posted a 2.13 ERA in 46 appearances. He missed bats, pounded the strike zone, and was a critical left-handed bridge to the later innings for Atlanta. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit him and now he is battling to re-establish himself in the Braves' bullpen.
Shoulder troubles limited Lee to just 24 mediocre appearances in 2023 and he ultimately had surgery to try and alleviate the problem. Since then, however, the Braves have added another lefty bullpen arm in Aaron Bummer, are expected to get Tyler Matzek (another lefty) back from the injured list soon, and have several high upside lefties hanging around including the stellar AJ Minter. After a rough start to spring training this year, Lee finds himself needing to turn things around in a hurry. Otherwise, he could find himself back in the minor leagues with a tough path back to playing time in Atlanta.
Grant Holmes
We wanted to include a guy that hasn't gotten a big league opportunity yet, but has hung around as a minor league veteran. Grant Holmes is the name that gets the nod there and while he is only a non-roster invitee with next to no chance of getting a big league roster spot right out of camp, making a good impression will go a long way to determining whether he can find his way to the majors at some point or if he will have to figure another way to make a living before too long.
Holmes has been a pro since 2014 when he was drafted in the first round by the Dodgers. He was actually a starter through 2019 before being moved to the bullpen, but his minor league career with the Dodgers, Athletics, and Braves has been more notable for his unrealized potential and mediocre results than anything else. The Braves brought him back to camp for the 2024 season, but Holmes is running out of time to convince folks that he deserves a chance to be a productive big league pitcher.
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