With only 31 games left in the regular season, the Braves are already in that awkward late-August space where every inning starts to feel like a tryout. The club’s current struggles make postseason talk feel a little premature, but the last few spots on a 26-man playoff roster are exactly the kind of decisions that can matter once October arrives.
A lot of the roster is already easy to sketch out. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson are the headliners, the kind of players Atlanta will lean on if it gets to the postseason. But deep playoff runs are often shaped by the guys who aren’t the obvious stars - the bench pieces, the extra arm, the player who catches fire at the right time.
At catcher, the picture is straightforward. Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy are the two names here, and there isn’t much reason to look beyond them. Some teams carry three catchers in the postseason, but Atlanta doesn’t appear to have a third backstop that makes that worthwhile.
The infield is where the conversation gets more interesting. Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Mauricio Dubon, Dominic Smith, and Jim Jarvis make up the projection, but the last two spots look shaky.
Smith and Jarvis have both been scuffling for a while, yet the 40-man roster doesn’t offer many cleaner alternatives. The real competition is Jarvis against veteran Ha-Seong Kim, and the final month could decide that battle.
In the outfield, the surprise name is Patrick Clohisy. He isn’t even on the 40-man roster yet, but he’s listed here because Atlanta’s No. 16 prospect brings a skill set that can play in October: speed.
Clohisy has been a prolific baserunner, and his .938 OPS with 21 stolen bases in 35 Triple-A games suggests he could be a real weapon if he gets added in time to be eligible for postseason consideration. He’d join Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Mike Yastrzemski, and Lane Thomas in the projected group.
The pitching staff is built around the usual postseason logic: lock in the high-end arms, then sort out the rest based on health, form, and the round Atlanta starts in. Chris Sale, Dylan Lee, and Raisel Iglesias are the obvious anchors. Tyler Mahle, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd, AJ Smith-Shawver, Martin Perez, Victor Mederos, and JR Ritchie round out the projected 13-man staff.
A healthy Robert Suarez in October would give Atlanta another major piece, and the expectation is that Sale, Mahle, and Smith-Shawver could handle much of the starter workload. Smith-Shawver is a candidate to work in a piggyback setup with Grant Holmes or 21-year-old Didier Fuentes.
At the back end, Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez, and Raisel Iglesias would give Walt Weiss a trio capable of shortening games. The rest of the pitching mix would be there to cover innings, manage matchups, and handle whatever the game state demands.
In Other News...
Chris Sale Helped Turn A Braves Broadcast Into A Classy Moment
The Little League Classic between the Braves and Brewers carried a little extra meaning for viewers beyond the game itself, because it doubled as Karl Ravechs final broadcast for ESPN. During the telecast, Garrett Mitchell and Max Scherzer made sure to acknowledge him, adding a warm note to a night that was already built around baseballs softer side. Ravech has been part of ESPN since 1993, with a rsum that includes SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight, so the sendoff felt like a nod to a familiar voice that helped frame the sport for generations.
For Braves fans, it was one of those moments where the game briefly took a back seat to the people telling its story. Ravech has remained grateful to ESPN even after being laid off in the summer, and the broadcast turned into a classy reminder of how much players and viewers alike can appreciate the folks behind the mic. Chris Sale helped make the moment land on an Atlanta night that otherwise would have been remembered for the field, not the booth. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Finally Settle A Shortstop Question As Playoff Pressure Builds
With one month left in the season and the NL East race tightening, the Braves made a small roster move that carries a bigger message. Atlanta optioned infielder Jim Jarvis to Triple-A Gwinnett and brought back outfielder Brewer Hicklen, a shuffle that clears the way for a more settled look in the middle of the diamond.
The practical effect is that Mauricio Dubon is now set to handle shortstop duties as the club tries to steady itself for the stretch run. For a team watching the division pressure build, the need is less about experimenting and more about finding a dependable answer at a key position before the games start to feel even heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Murphys Slump Is Starting To Look Like A Bigger Braves Problem
Sean Murphys season has become one of those quiet Braves storylines that keeps getting harder to ignore. After a hip injury that needed surgery and then a finger fracture, he made it back onto the field, but the offensive rhythm has not followed. The numbers and the eye test have both pointed in the same direction, with his contact quality lagging and his bat speed looking a step off from what Atlanta expected.
For the Braves, the concern is no longer just Murphy working his way through a rough stretch. If the timing issues are tied to the lingering effects of the injuries, this could be more than a simple slump at the plate, especially for a catcher who is supposed to help anchor the middle of the lineup. Atlanta has reason to keep watching closely, because until Murphy starts looking more like himself, this becomes a deeper lineup problem rather than an isolated cold spell. [Read more 🡒]