Braves announce 2021 opening-day roster
The Braves didn’t make a late addition to their bench or bullpen before opening day, as they had in years past. They announced their expected 26-man roster a few hours before facing the Phillies in the opener Thursday afternoon.
It’s a unique opening-day roster: The Braves have a four-man bench and 10-man bullpen. The bench includes infielders Ehire Adrianza and Pablo Sandoval, outfielder Ender Inciarte and catcher Alex Jackson.
The expanded bullpen features five right-handers and five left-handers. Those relievers are Will Smith (L), Chris Martin, A.J. Minter (L), Tyler Matzek (L), Josh Tomlin, Huascar Ynoa, Sean Newcomb (L), Grant Dayton (L), Nate Jones and Luke Jackson. The team plans to use a bullpen game during its second series of the season, which is in Washington.
Anderson, Ynoa and Pache will be experiencing their first MLB opening day.
The entire 26-man roster, as provided by the Braves:
Pitchers (14): RH Ian Anderson, LH Grant Dayton, LH Max Fried, RH Luke Jackson, RH Nate Jones, RH Chris Martin, LH Tyler Matzek, LH A.J. Minter, RH Charlie Morton, LH Sean Newcomb, LH Will Smith, LH Drew Smyly, RH Josh Tomlin, RH Huascar Ynoa
Catchers (2): Travis d’Arnaud, Alex Jackson
Infielders (6): Ehire Adrianza, Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, Austin Riley, Pablo Sandoval, Dansby Swanson
Outfielders (4): Ronald Acuna, Ender Inciarte, Marcell Ozuna, Cristian Pache
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.
