Welcome to game day, folks.
For those keeping score at home, you can watch tonight’s opener on that $100 streaming app, your local Gray TV station — or, if you’re lucky, the new BravesVision channel.
- As of 11:30 a.m., the latter is available on Xfinity (Channel 1254) and Spectrum (varies by market), with DirecTV possibly coming soon.
No news yet of distribution deals with other cable, satellite or streaming providers. But stay tuned, because it’s not unusual for these things to come down to the wire.
KEEPING THINGS UPBEAT
There are a lot of … questions about this year’s Braves. Injuries, offensive identity crises and a lack of meaningful response from the front office will do that.
But there are reasons to be hopeful about 2026! You just have to squint a little.
Our friends Chad Bishop, Gabe Burns and Ken Sugiura are here to help us see the light.
1️⃣ Chad likes the lineup: Start with Ronald Acuña Jr. at the top. A healthy Acuña is an MVP candidate, and he goes into the season with a World Baseball Classic title under his belt and a solid spring at the plate to boot. He should come out of the gates blazing.
Behind Acuña will be the reigning National League rookie of the year, Drake Baldwin. Baldwin appears suited to be a dangerous No. 2 hitter, and he hit the ball extremely hard during the Grapefruit League.
The middle of the order will feature Matt Olson, likely in the 3-hole, and Austin Riley hitting cleanup. Riley has had a fine spring after tinkering with his swing (and his facial hair) in the offseason.
From there the Braves have options: veteran left fielder Mike Yastrzemski? Center fielder Michael Harris II? Second baseman Ozzie Albies? That’s a quality trio capable of having solid seasons no matter where they hit in the order. Harris in particular has shown improvement this spring with plate discipline and pitch selection.
- One other facet to consider: Manager Walt Weiss has put a major emphasis on base running, so expect the Braves to be a little more aggressive in swiping bases, stretching singles into doubles and going first to third. That may help increase run totals as well.
2️⃣ Ken knows time heals (most) wounds: As ominous as the pitching injuries might seem, I believe the Braves can quite reasonably overcome the absences of Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider. You might remember that for the last two months of the season, the Braves were without Schwellenbach and Grant Holmes and, for much of it, Chris Sale. (And Strider was quite average.)
Yet, the Braves were 30-24 in August/September because the lineup produced at a top-10 (not even top-5) level. There’s no reason this lineup can’t do that again, particularly if Harris and Albies aren’t the resistance they were for much of the season.
If the Braves can do that, they can get to June in decent shape with Schwellenbach’s return potentially nearing and presumably be healthy for the rest of the way.
Presumably.
3️⃣ Gabe’s bullish on the bullpen: The back end of this Braves’ bullpen is plenty reason for optimism. If the Braves carry a lead into the eighth, they should be in stellar position. The rotation conversation has often overshadowed the team’s investment in Raisel Iglesias and Robert Suarez, who could make a case for the sport’s best one-two reliever punch.
Iglesias, 36, finished last season on a roll, posting a 1.25 ERA over his last 45 appearances. Suarez, meanwhile, arrives much acclaimed after producing a 2.87 ERA and 76 saves for the Padres over the past two seasons.
Relievers are volatile, but these two have proven consistent high-end performers. Dylan Lee should be a reliable setup man before them. What else can the Braves get from the bullpen? Tyler Kinley was superb in 24 games last season; can he continue it? What about Aaron Bummer, who hasn’t seen his electric Baseball Savant page yet translate into results? Perhaps an unexpected contributor emerges, too. The Braves will need it.
But their top two relievers are undoubtedly elite. And that should pair nicely with an offense the club expects to be fantastic.
🤔 To recap: The hitters are healthier (and/or taking healthier approaches). The bench is deeper. The main injury-related absences won’t last forever, and the bullpen’s back end is much improved.
You buying in or …?
Hop over to the Braves Report mailbag to share your most sincerely held beliefs.
PURE, UNADULTERATED LINKAGE
Yeah, we’ve got a ton more stuff.
26 predictions for the 2026 season. See what we did there?
Who will win the NL East? Let’s be honest … probably not the Mets.
Check out the new food at Truist Park. Don’t worry. The 2-pound burger with short rib, pork belly and fried eggs on top can’t hurt you.
Opinion: Price hikes turning off this 30-year season-ticket holder. Extremely fair.
Test your knowledge with opening day trivia. I did not do well on this.
Brian Snitker headed to Braves Hall of Fame. Well deserved.
VOTE: A tournament of joy-inducing Atlanta athletes. We’re down to the Exceptional Eight (including three Braves).
THE ACTUAL BASEBALL GAMES
Guess we should chat a bit about the imminent on-field action, huh?
Tonight’s opener kicks off a six-game homestand against the Royals and the Athletics — both of whom are actually pretty fun teams.
📺 Braves vs. Royals: 7:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 1:35 p.m. Sunday.
Friday’s game is available over-the-air on Gray TV, with Saturday’s affair on Fox. Sunday’s the first game offered solely on BravesVision and Braves.TV.
📝 What to know: Braves ace Chris Sale gets the opening day nod against Royals lefty Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14 ERA in 2025). Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes are scheduled to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively, against the Royals’ Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo.
- Worth monitoring: López lagged on the radar gun in his last spring start. He attributed it to mechanical issues.
Kansas City, which won the only series between the two teams last season, is led by star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and World Baseball Classic MVP Maikel Garcia.
🥳 Other festivities: The team will walk through the Battery near the First Base Gate at 4 p.m. Friday. Inside the stadium, a tribute to the 60th year of baseball in Atlanta begins at 6:40 p.m.
- Everybody at Friday’s game also gets a free magnetic schedule and a rally towel — and stick around for postgame fireworks.
🗓️ Moving forward: Games in the subsequent series against the A’s are set for 7:15 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, then 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.
The first 15,000 folks through the gates for Tuesday’s game (another Gray TV special) get a Drake Baldwin Rookie of the Year bobblehead.
Keep scrolling for a sneak peek.
ONE MORE PITCHING SURPRISE
We shan’t belabor it, but there was one last-minute surprise on the Braves’ opening day roster (which, according to Baseball America, is the oldest in MLB.)
Osvaldo Bido — historically a reliever and occasional starter — made the cut after the Braves claimed him off waivers Tuesday. The electric but inconsistent right-hander allowed one run over seven innings for the Yankees this spring.
He spent 2024 (a good year) and 2025 (a not so great year) with the Athletics.
It’s possible Bido’s mostly on the big league roster because the Braves need as many arms as possible to start the season. No off days until April 9.
👀 But here’s one stat that could keep him around: The whiff rate on his slider last season? 34.1%. That’s elite stuff.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Your first look at the aforementioned Drake Baldwin Rookie of the Year bobblehead, which will be the feature attraction at Truist Park on Tuesday.
(The one with Michael Harris II and his dog arrives May 13.)
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the Win Column newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
