Braves’ infield returns familiar faces with new shortstop(s)
NORTH PORT, Fla. — Braves spring training is well underway. And that means the regular season is fast approaching.
Here’s how the Braves’ starting infield is slated to align entering the season:
Catcher
The Braves will start Drake Baldwin as veteran Sean Murphy recovers from hip surgery. When Murphy returns — possibly sometime later in May, though he didn’t share a timetable — the team will boast one of baseball’s best catching tandems. Baldwin, the reigning Rookie of the Year, should be an All-Star candidate if he takes another step forward.
Jonah Heim, whom the Braves signed Tuesday, will back up Baldwin. The team also has Chadwick Tromp and Sandy Leon as experienced depth. But Heim, a 2023 All-Star who’s since fallen on hard times, is a serviceable stopgap while the team awaits Murphy’s return.
First base
Matt Olson returns for his fifth season as the Braves’ first baseman (time flies). Olson has been a true iron man as the current active leader in consecutive games played. He hasn’t missed a game as a Brave. Olson was a bit underappreciated in 2025, posting an .850 OPS. He should have another productive season ahead as one of the sport’s top-five first basemen.
Second base
The Braves picked up Ozzie Albies’ team option over the winter, so he continues as the franchise’s longest-tenured player. The team has another favorable option on Albies following the campaign, but a season in which he performs more similarly to 2025’s second half (.769 OPS) than first half (.606 OPS) would help make that an easy call. Albies is further distanced from the wrist injury that hampered him at the plate. He was the first position player in camp this spring (which is common for him).
“One hundred percent,” Albies said when asked if he felt he and the team had something to prove. “Let’s go do it all again.”
Third base
Austin Riley, once injury proof, has seen consecutive campaigns prematurely ended by ailments. He’s healthy and ready to roll in 2026. Riley’s success is paramount to the Braves’ chances of returning to the postseason. Last season was a disappointment by his standards — he had a .737 OPS, his second consecutive sub-.800 OPS campaign after three straight in which he exceeded that mark — but he arrived to camp fully healthy and eager to get back into form.
Shortstop
Ha-Seong Kim sustained an offseason hand injury and will miss the start of the season, a blow as he tries to parlay a one-year deal into a multiyear pact next winter. The Braves will start newcomer Mauricio Dubón in his absence.
The team has several other infield options should Dubón get injured or forced to handle another position in a pinch; Jorge Mateo, Kyle Farmer and Aaron Schunk are among the veterans in camp. But the Braves expect this position to be better than last season, especially when Kim returns.
“It’s a big deal losing your shortstop, but then you have a guy like Dubón,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “You’re going to deal with (injuries) so you better have guys who can step in and help you win games.”
About the Author
Gabriel Burns is a general assignment reporter and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After four years on the Braves beat, he's expanded his horizons and covers all sports. You'll find him writing about MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and other Atlanta-centric happenings.
