NORTH PORT, Fla. — We are almost there. Almost.
In less than two weeks, the Braves will play a baseball game that counts when they take the field in Philadelphia. There will be no more speculation, no more theorizing, no more guessing about what everything means.
That game begins games that matter.
Spring training is fun, but at this point, everyone is ready for the real games. The Braves’ final Grapefruit League game is March 26 in Fort Myers versus the Twins.
On March 28, they’ll play the Phillies.
Here are five things to watch as the Braves enter the final week-plus of camp.
The final bench spot
If everyone is healthy, the Braves’ rotation and starting lineup are set. We know almost all of the bench and bullpen.
Who will earn the final roster spots? Or maybe, after the Adam Duvall signing, it’s more accurate to say “spot.”
The Braves had two open bench spots at the start of camp, but Duvall took one of them. So who will be the 26th man?
It’s a tricky balance with that spot because the player seldom sees the field. The Braves’ starters play every day, plus there’s a universal designated hitter, plus there are 26 men on a roster.
That means the last guy on the bench often sits idle for weeks at a time. The result of this: Players with more potential or value often go to Triple-A to get regular at-bats, even if they’re one of the best 26 in camp.
For the final roster spot, Luke Williams, Forrest Wall, David Fletcher and Eli White come to mind because they’re still in camp. But the first two might be most prevalent here.
In semantics, Fletcher is a minor-league player right now because the Braves outrighted him off the 40-man roster over the offseason. He’s in camp as a non-roster invitee. It seems he’d be redundant to Luis Guillorme, even if he’s owed $14 million through next season.
Do the Braves think Wall is best served getting at-bats every day? If so, Williams probably makes the big-league team.
Or it could be someone currently in another camp. Anything is possible.
How the bullpen could shake out
Entering the spring, the Braves seemed to have a group of relievers penciled in: Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, Pierce Johnson, Joe Jiménez, Aaron Bummer, Tyler Matzek and Dylan Lee. This doesn’t mean these guys were guaranteed spots, but they appeared likely to make the roster if all went as expected.
There hasn’t been a ton of shake-up here. Guys such as Ken Giles and Daysbel Hernandez have been cut from camp.
Who might be the eighth man in the bullpen?
As of now, the prime candidate seems to be Jackson Stephens, who was the team’s long man in 2022.
We’ll provide this disclaimer again: Anything can happen. We’ll see how the Braves construct their roster as camp winds down.
The opening-day starter
Will it be Max Fried or Spencer Strider?
The natural choice seems to be Fried, who has started three consecutive opening-day games for the Braves. But perhaps Strider could get the nod?
We’ll soon find out.
For context: Last year, the Braves announced Fried as their opening-day starter March 24. That was a Friday, and the club broke camp after the game that next Tuesday.
If you go by when they last pitched in a Grapefruit League game, both Fried and Strider could start that season opener in Philadelphia. The Braves could maneuver their schedules to make either work out.
How will Adam Duvall look?
The Braves signed Adam Duvall two weeks before opening day. Position players need less time to prepare than pitchers, but the Braves will still need to get Duvall to a comfortable place before the first game.
On Friday, manager Brian Snitker said Duvall would arrive at the facility and begin working out. He said the club doesn’t know when Duvall will get into a spring game.
After Sunday, the Braves have only eight games remaining on their Grapefruit League schedule. Without knowing how he reported, it seems this will be enough time for Duvall.
Duvall will have a few extra days, too: Because of the fact that he’s platooning with Jarred Kelenic – and thus will start against lefties – the Braves likely won’t put him in the starting lineup until March 31, when the Phillies are projected to start left-hander Ranger Suarez in the season’s third game.
Keeping everyone healthy
When it comes to their important pieces, the Braves have, knock on wood, kept everyone pretty healthy during this camp. Their rotation and lineup seem intact. Their bullpen hasn’t yet sustained a blow.
The team dealt with Ronald Acuña Jr.’s injury scare, but he returned to play a game Thursday, so everything seems fine.
Injuries could happen at any moment because that’s how it goes in baseball. And that’s why the Braves have worked so hard to add depth. But for now, the Braves have experienced a relatively quiet spring training in terms of injuries to their key players.
As they go through the final week and change in North Port, they’ll do everything they can to make sure they take their best bunch to Philadelphia.
