Kyle Wright will start the Braves’ exhibition season opener Sunday against the Rays, manager Brian Snitker said Friday. Wright will be the first of seven pitchers who are scheduled to appear in the game.
Wright, 25, could open the season in the rotation if Mike Soroka, who’s returning from a torn Achilles, begins the season on the injured list. The realities of a 162-game season will give Wright opportunities, and it’s pivotal he makes the most of them.
Veteran starters Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly are on one-year deals, so if Wright builds off his late season success in 2020, perhaps he finally establishes himself in the rotation for 2022. In the meantime, he provides valuable depth. As the Braves saw in just 60 games, a team can never have too many starters.
Grant Dayton, Sean Newcomb, Carl Edwards, Tucker Davidson, Chad Sobotka and Patrick Weigel will follow Wright in the seven-inning affair.
Dayton is among several competing for a bullpen spot. The same goes for Edwards, who’s an intriguing non-roster invitee. If Edwards shows the firepower he had before injuries stalled his career, he could certainly snag one of the open spots.
Newcomb is a fascinating case. The lefty was jettisoned from the rotation during the 60-game campaign and never returned. A year earlier, he was extremely effective as a reliever. Newcomb is somewhat overlooked in the conversation, but it’s conceivable that he could work his way back into the mix at some point.
Sobotka provides additional bullpen depth. Weigel is an annual fixture on the “most interesting pitchers” list each spring. He appeared in his first and only major-league game last season, but should see more time in 2021. Davidson, who made his debut in the regular-season finale last year, could see time as a spot starter and reliever over the course of the season.
The Braves will play 29 games in 31 days leading to the regular season. Each of their games will be seven innings until March 13. The Braves begin the regular season April 1 in Philadelphia.
Notes from Friday:
- First baseman Freddie Freeman will arrive in Florida this weekend, Snitker said. Freeman is arriving late after his wife announced the birth of their third son last weekend. Freeman will be ready for opening day.
- The Braves will play “a few” of their regulars Sunday, Snitker said. Those who don’t play Sunday likely will play the following day in Fort Myers against the Red Sox. Most of the regulars will play in the team’s home opener at CoolToday Park on March 2 against the Twins.
