With just over a week left in the regular season, it’s time for another Braves postseason roster prediction. It’s unfortunate, but the Braves still have a lot to figure out, particularly when it comes to their pitching staff, and the options right now are not exactly inspiring.
Rotation
Nothing has changed here, but I do want to mention how the NLDS schedule will allow for the Braves to only need three starting pitchers. Max Fried and Spencer Strider could potentially pitch twice on regular rest because of the number of off-days, so it’s possible Bryce Elder could be used out of the bullpen.
Bullpen
- Raisel Iglesias
- A.J. Minter
- Pierce Johnson
- Joe Jimenez
- Kirby Yates
- Michael Tonkin
- Brad Hand
- Kyle Wright
- Jesse Chavez
This is where the difficult decisions will have to be made by Alex Anthopoulos and Brian Snitker. The top six here should be safe, and Brad Hand will likely get the nod as the team’s lefty specialist, but after that, the Braves could go in a number of directions. I’m still holding out hope for Kyle Wright, but he has not looked good since returning from injury. If he doesn’t look better over his final two appearances, the Braves could opt to roll with someone like Jackson Stephens.
There’s also no telling whether Jesse Chavez is ready. He’s been solid during his rehab assignments and will hopefully be rejoining the team this week. As I said, the options aren’t exactly inspiring, but if Chavez is healthy, he’s probably the best of the bunch.
Catchers
As always, nothing to see here.
Infielders
Not much to see here as well. These should be the five infielders included on the Braves postseason roster.
Outfielders
I also think this is rather straightforward. The top five here are all locks, with the final spot going to Forrest Wall, who can help the Braves as a baserunner late in a game.
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Photo: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
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