Six players who won’t be on the Braves roster on Opening Day.
Which athletes will not have the distinction of being included on the Opening Day roster? You may be shocked by some of the verified names we provided.
Ken Giles is among the non-roster invitees whose name is most likely recognizable. The hard-throwing, once-extremely effective closer caused a stir when his name appeared on the Atlanta non-roster invite list.
We don’t really anticipate a happy ending for this fairy tale, though, as Giles still needs to establish his worthiness for a roster spot in a crowded bullpen. It’s going to be difficult for Giles this spring because he hasn’t pitched more than five innings in a season since 2019.
Dodd did start one of the Braves’ first five games of the previous season, despite not being included on the original 2023 Opening Day roster. This was brought on by both Kyle Wright’s injury and his outstanding spring. With the major league team last season, Dodd started just seven games, and the outcomes weren’t particularly remarkable.
his springtime To have any chance of making the 2024 Opening Day roster, Dodd would need a spate of injuries to the rotation, which is obviously something that every Braves fan hopes DOES NOT happen. Hurston Waldrep, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Dodd are just a few of the players in Atlanta’s rotation that are benefiting from important minor league experience, which is just one of the many reasons to hope for a healthier season. In relation to Waldrep…
Waldrep Hurston
By all accounts, the Braves’ top prospect in the system is the University of Florida 2023 first-round selection. Waldrep played in his first pro ball season last year, flying through every minor league level.
Numerous people are wondering if the 21-year-old is deserving of a big league promotion in 2024 because his season ended in Triple-A Gwinnett. While we won’t completely rule it out, we believe it would be unrealistic to expect either AJSS or Waldrep to be on the Opening Day roster. More time with Gwinnett would be very beneficial for both of them in order to further develop their command.
But don’t be shocked to see one of these young, exciting prospects up with a big league club if the rotation begins to leak injuries, as it did for much of 2023 in Atlanta.
In his spring debut, the new Braves starting pitcher appears to be fully healthy.
The Braves from Atlanta have a knack of coming out on top in trades, and they may have made one of the most significant moves of the offseason.
And it’s possible that they accomplished another “heist”.
In his post-deal media conference, veteran lefty Chris Sale—acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a straight swap (plus cash) for infielder Vaughn Grissom—told us he was feeling better than he had in a long time. He reiterated the same sentiment upon reporting for spring training.
It appears that he could have been correct.
Sale made his Grapefruit League debut for Atlanta against the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching two scoreless innings with four strikeouts, no walks, and no hits. The Pirates only had two batters put balls in play; in the first inning, Bryan Reynolds, the left fielder, flew out to right field, and Ke’Bryan Hayes, the third baseman, grounded out to short.
In the second inning, Sale hit fastballs at speeds of 95 and 97 mph to strike out the side. He also showed off his slider and changeup, getting two swinging strikeouts and a foul tip against a Pirates lineup that was largely composed of MLB players.
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