With 12 games left in the regular season and the NL East still there for the taking, the Atlanta Braves are trying to get everything pointed in the right direction for October. They came out of their weekend series against Philadelphia in good shape, and now the focus shifts to how the roster should be lined up for the postseason.
That conversation has changed a bit since an earlier playoff projection at the end of August. Two players who were part of that first look are now out of the picture because of injuries: Bryce Elder had knee surgery, and Lane Thomas is dealing with an intercostal injury.
Since the postseason roster is handled differently than the regular-season group, there’s still some guesswork involved this late in the year. But those injuries force the issue: who steps in?
Behind the plate, the setup looks the same. Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy are the two catchers in the projection.
Baldwin is expected to spend plenty of time at designated hitter in October, while Murphy handles the catching duties. Murphy also brings a clear edge when it comes to controlling the running game, which could matter a lot once the games get tighter.
The infield is where the biggest changes show up. The projected group includes Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Ha-Seong Kim, Mauricio Dubón, and Dominic Smith.
Kim has emerged as an important September piece, and Walt Weiss recently said Kim will start at shortstop against left-handed pitchers, with Dubón in left field. Against right-handed pitchers, the alignment should go back to the more familiar look around the infield.
The last few position-player spots are not exactly overflowing with certainty, but that’s what happens when injuries start thinning out the depth. Brewer Hicklen and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. are both viewed as end-of-roster additions who can run if needed. If the club wants more of a pinch-hitting option, Kyle Farmer or maybe Rowdy Tellez would be the names to consider.
On the pitching side, the main adjustment is replacing Elder’s spot with Ray Kerr, a long-relief option who has posted a 1.59 ERA since coming back to Atlanta earlier this month. The projection still includes Robert Suarez, which is an optimistic read, but the hope is that his progress is enough to make him a useful arm in October’s biggest innings.
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Braves Face A Tough Bullpen Call As Robert Suarez Nears Return
Robert Suarez is moving closer to a return after getting through live batting practice, a promising sign for a Braves bullpen that could use another late-inning arm as the season tightens. His recovery from an elbow injury has kept him on the shelf, but the ramp-up has at least given Atlanta a clearer picture of when it might get one of its more important relief pieces back in the mix.
Suarezs timeline now comes with a roster decision attached, and that is where things get tricky for Atlanta. Adding him back should strengthen the bullpen, but it also forces the Braves to weigh pitching depth against the need to keep enough arms available, with relievers like Bailey Falter potentially feeling the squeeze as the club sorts out how to enter a critical stretch of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
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Pulido, in particular, stood out by earning a midseason jump to the Florida Complex League and then handling the higher level better after the move. The kind of year the Braves got in the DSL is rarely pretty, but individual progress matters most at this stage, and the early returns suggest this class may be better than the final standings make it look. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Ownership Just Got Pressured Into An Awkward Franchise Debate
The Braves are suddenly dealing with a question that goes far beyond the on-field product, because Breach Inlet Capital Management, one of Atlanta Braves Holdings major shareholders, has publicly pushed the teams board to explore a sale of the franchise. The firms case is rooted in timing: a strong market for sports properties, the possibility of labor issues in Major League Baseball, and looming tax law changes that could make a future deal less attractive than one struck now.
Breach Inlet also pointed to the Braves distinct mix of assets and argued that the stock does not fully reflect the value shown in recent MLB franchise sales. For an organization that has spent years building around stability and long-term growth, the pressure introduces an awkward front-office debate about whether the safest move is to stay patient or test a market that may never look quite this favorable again. [Read more 🡒]