5 Braves players fighting for their futures ahead of 2024 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.