SAN DIEGO -- Six Braves, including three members of the team¡¯s starting rotation, have been placed on an Opening Day roster for the first time.
Catcher Drake Baldwin, who ranks as baseball¡¯s No. 63 prospect and the Braves No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, and right-handed starter AJ Smith-Shawver, who ranks as the team¡¯s No. 3 prospect, headline the group of Braves who will get their first taste of being on an Opening Day roster during Thursday afternoon¡¯s game against the Padres at Petco Park at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Right-handed starters Grant Holmes and Spencer Schwellenbach, right-handed reliever Daysbel Hernandez and backup catcher Chadwick Tromp are the four other Braves who had never previously started a season at the Major League level.
Baldwin is the only member of this group who will be making his MLB debut.
Before announcing their Opening Day roster Thursday morning, the Braves placed outfielder Ronald Acu?a Jr. (left knee ACL reconstruction), infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. (left wrist inflammation) and catcher Sean Murphy (fractured left ribcage) on the 10-day injured list. Right-handed starter Spencer Strider (right elbow UCL injury) and right-handed reliever Joe Jim¨¦nez (left knee articular cartilage injury) were placed on the 15-day injured list.
Here is a look at Atlanta¡¯s Opening Day roster:
Catchers (2): Drake Baldwin, Chadwick Tromp
Sean Murphy will miss the first couple weeks of the season recovering from a cracked left rib. Baldwin will serve as the primary catcher during this stretch. Once Murphy returns, the Braves will decide whether to keep Baldwin as a backup or send him to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he would play more frequently and continue to learn from Sandy Le¨®n. If Baldwin remains in the Majors as a backup, he could improve his game-calling skills while building relationships with pitchers, coaches and members of the analytics department.
Infielders (5): Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Orlando Arcia, Nick Allen
Allen¡¯s superb glove will give manager Brian Snitker the confidence to rest Arcia more frequently than he did either of the past two seasons. Olson, Riley and Albies will all likely aim to play 160-plus games.
Outfielders (5): Michael Harris II, Jurickson Profar, Jarred Kelenic, Bryan De La Cruz, Eli White
Kelenic's struggles against left-handed pitching won¡¯t be as problematic, as he and De La Cruz will platoon in right field until Acu?a returns in May. Profar will serve as the everyday left fielder after signing a three-year, $42 million deal in January. Harris is entering his fourth big league season and just the fifth full professional season he has had above the high school level.
White has shown Gold Glove-caliber skills in the outfield. But the 30-year-old lifelong Braves fan gained his Opening Day roster spot by spending the past month proving he could also play any of the infield spots if necessary.
DH (1): Marcell Ozuna
The Big Bear is one of nine players in baseball with a .900-plus OPS since the start of 2023.
Starting pitchers (5): LHP Chris Sale, RHP Reynaldo López, RHP Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP AJ Smith-Shawver, RHP Grant Holmes
Smith-Shawver has pitched in the postseason both of the past two years, but this will be the first time he has a legit chance to become a mainstay on Atlanta¡¯s roster. The 22-year-old hurler impressed during Spring Training and could stay in the rotation even after Strider returns within a couple weeks. If the Braves keep Smith-Shawver in the rotation, Holmes would likely move to the bullpen when Strider is activated.
Relief pitchers (8): RHP Raisel Iglesias, RHP Pierce Johnson, LHP Dylan Lee, LHP Aaron Bummer, RHP Héctor Neris, RHP Enyel De Los Santos, RHP José Suarez, RHP Daysbel Hernández
Johnson will serve as Iglesias¡¯ primary setup man. Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee are a pair of left-handers who could also be used in any high-leverage situation. Neris joined the Braves after the start of Spring Training. But he and Enyel De Los Santos, another former member of the San Diego bullpen, will team with Daysbel Hern¨¢ndez to give Atlanta a trio of late-inning right-handed relief options. Suarez will open the season as a long reliever, but he might not be a long-term fit.