The 2026 World Series will feature plenty of familiar names for Braves fans, even if only a pair of former Atlanta players are likely to actually get into a game. With the Brewers and Rays set to open the Fall Classic, the list of ex-Braves tied to these rosters gives Atlanta followers a few different directions to lean.
William Contreras is the headliner. Now with the Milwaukee Brewers, he’s become one of the biggest bats in the championship round after the Braves traded him away, a move that clearly stung in Atlanta.
Through this postseason, Contreras has been scorching, hitting .367/.457/.700 and leading Milwaukee’s offense in home runs. He’s also made his mark behind the plate, especially with his ABS challenges.
Even with a World Series ring already from 2021, and even though he was on the Braves’ postseason roster that year, this will be the first World Series game he has actually appeared in.
The other former Brave expected to see action is Jorge Mateo, who opened the 2026 season with Atlanta before some ups and downs led to his release and a new home with the Tampa Bay Rays. Mateo has played in four postseason games this year, though he still hasn’t come up for an at-bat. The Rays have mostly used him as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.
There are also several former Braves in the World Series orbit who may wind up with a ring without stepping on the field in the Fall Classic. Bryse Wilson is in that group with Milwaukee.
He’s going for his second World Series ring, even though he did not pitch in the playoffs. Wilson made eight starts for the Braves in 2021 before being traded to the Pirates, and this season he signed with the Brewers in August and made 13 appearances, but has been left off the roster in every round so far.
Jonathan Ornelas is another ex-Brave on the Brewers’ side. He played three games for Milwaukee this year, with nine plate appearances, which is one more game and five more plate appearances than he had with the 2025 Braves.
Braden Shewmake, once a top draft pick for Atlanta, also spent part of this year with Milwaukee. He played in four games for the Brewers, collecting eight plate appearances and two hits, before being released in July.
And on the Rays’ side, Fraley joined Tampa Bay after being non-tendered by the Braves. He struggled in 31 games with the Rays and was released in September.
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Braves Fans Will Love The Pitcher Suddenly Tied To Atlanta
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It was the kind of tiny social-media moment Braves fans notice immediately, even if the baseball reality is much less dramatic. Williams remains under team control through 2029, so any serious path to Atlanta would be a long shot at best, but that has not stopped a bit of online chatter from making the rounds. [Read more 🡒]