Several Braves will benefit from Major League Baseball’s latest plan to return

Ken Rosenthal reported on Saturday the plan Major League Baseball has in place for a return. It will be a significantly shortened season, with somewhere between 78-82 games. However, playoffs will be expanded to seven teams from each league. There is also likely to be expanded rosters — the 40-man could be 45-50 players, and the 26-man should be around 30 players. A universal DH is also expected to happen, allowing the league to experiment while also protecting players from injury. Because of this, several players from each team, especially in the National League, will benefit, and the Braves are no different. 

Fringe 40-Man Players

With the way things were looking in Spring Training, several decisions were going to have to be made in regards to the Braves 40-man roster. Players like Josh Tomlin, Felix Hernandez, and Charlie Culberson, who were non-roster invites, could have been left off because of this. But there is also a group of players currently on the 40-man that could have been removed and possibly DFA’d to make room for one of those mentioned above. With the way things were going, I would have expected at least Tomlin and Hernandez to be promoted to the 40-man. Now, nobody has to be left off, and there will even be a few extra players added that would not have been. 

Fringe 26-Man Players

This is a similar situation to the fringe 40-man players. Tomlin and Hernandez will both have a chance to make the active roster. Both Riley and Carmago should start the season in Atlanta, and it could even open a spot for a young arm or two like Patrick Weigel, who was electric in Spring Training. 

Bench Bats

This is the group that will benefit the most (if there is indeed a universal DH put in place). It allows the Braves to keep Johan Camargo and Austin Riley in Atlanta and give them the everyday at-bats they need. It also opens up more opportunities for Adam Duvall and Nick Markakis, who are two starting-caliber players the Braves have hiding on their bench. In a league where most teams aren’t prepared to insert a DH into their starting lineup daily, Atlanta is well-equipped, and it should play to their advantage.