This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, but the Atlanta Braves were never going to be able to keep all five dozen or so guys they currently have in spring training camp. Spring training roster cuts were always inevitable and the first few waves are probably not even going to be all that consequential as they will primarily be minor leaguers who never had a chance of making the Opening Day big league roster being sent back over to minor league spring training to get ready for their season.
That is precisely what happened today as the Braves announced that they were sending both Hayden Harris and Taylor Widener back to minor league camp.
The Braves have reassigned LHP Hayden Harris and RHP Taylor Widener to minor-league camp. Braves have 58 players in camp now.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) February 29, 2024
Braves News: Braves send Harris and Widener back over to minor league camp
Hayden Harris is the more notable of the two players involved here has gotten some love on Braves organizational prospect rankings, but neither were realistically in the conversation this spring. Harris almost didn't get a shot as a pro pitcher, but he managed to convinced the Braves to sign him as a minor league free agent and posted some big time strikeout numbers out of the bullpen in 2023 across three levels of the minor leagues.
Widener, on the other hand, is a fringe relief arm that the Braves added on a minor league deal this offseason. Widener had previous played in the Yankees' and Diamondbacks' organizations, but played the 2023 season over in Korea.
Ultimately, these moves amount to very little in the grand scheme of things for 2024. Neither player was likely to compete for a big league roster spot this year, but the moves do show that the Braves are beginning to trim their big league camp down which means we should start to get some clarity on the competitions the Braves do have in camp for the few outstanding roster spots. With the big league regulars likely to get more and more playing time in the next week or two, expect more and more cuts to be announced and the 2024 Braves roster to begin to take shape.
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