Atlanta placed Murphy (ribs) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
Murphy was ruled out 4-to-6 week after suffering a fractured rib on his left side in early March, so the move to the IL is procedural. With the 30-year-old sidelined for the start of the season, prospect Drake Baldwin recently had his contract selected and is expected to begin the campaign as Atlanta's primary catcher.
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Braves' Joe Jimenez: Officially lands on injured list
Rotowire
Atlanta placed Jimenez on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a left knee articular cartilage injury.
Jimenez underwent knee surgery back in November and will be out at least until the second half and perhaps for the entirety of the 2025 campaign. He is a candidate to be shifted to the 60-day IL if/when Atlanta needs to free up a spot on its 40-man roster.
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Braves' Nacho Alvarez: Goes on IL
Rotowire
Atlanta placed Alvarez on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with left wrist inflammation.
Alvarez tweaked the wrist in late February and the injury lingered long enough to force an IL stint. The 21-year-old will be eligible to return April 4, but it's unclear whether he'll be ready at that time and he seems likely to be sent to the minors once healthy.
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Braves' Spencer Strider: Moves to injured list
Rotowire
Atlanta placed Strider (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday.
It's simply a procedural move for the right-hander as he finishes up his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent in April 2024. Strider was able to get in two Grapefruit League starts before the end of spring training and had a 10:1 K:BB with two earned runs allowed over four innings, potentially setting him up to make his 2025 debut as early as mid-April.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Shifts to injured list
Rotowire
Atlanta placed Acuna (knee) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to March 24.
The 27-year-old is expected to make his season debut in early-to-mid May as he continues to rehab from ACL surgery, so his move to the injured list was an inevitability. Acuna has been able to take part in most baseball activities during spring training but has yet to be cleared for game action. Once he begins a rehab assignment, there should be a better idea of when exactly Acuna will make his 2025 debut.
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Braves' Zach Thompson: Inks minors deal
Rotowire
Thompson signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Oct. 19.
Thompson spent the 2024 season rehabbing after he underwent surgery to address a partially torn flexor tendon He'll toe the rubber for Atlanta's final exhibition game of the spring Tuesday against the Cubs before presumably being reassigned to the minors. Thompson is likely to open the season in the rotation at Triple-A Gwinnett.
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Braves' AJ Smith-Shawver: Set for rotation spot
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Smith-Shawver is expected to begin the season in the Atlanta rotation, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
With Ian Anderson traded to the Angels on Sunday and Bryce Elder optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, Smith-Shawver is the last man standing in camp for the fifth starter job. The 22-year-old right-hander earned the assignment by posting a 20:5 K:BB through 16 Grapefruit League innings, and that strikeout potential gives him significant fantasy upside with a potent Atlanta offense at his back. Smith-Shawver will need to out-perform Grant Holmes to stay in the rotation once Spencer Strider (elbow) is cleared for his 2025 debut, however.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Elder was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.
Elder will open the regular season at Triple-A after posting a 4.97 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 12 strikeouts over 12.2 innings in five appearances, including one start, with Atlanta during the spring. Elder has combined to pitch in 224.1 innings over the last two seasons with Atlanta, and he'll likely make his return to the major-league roster in the not-too-distant future.
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Braves' Jose Suarez: Traded to Atlanta
Rotowire
Suarez was acquired by Atlanta from the Angels on Sunday in exchange for right-hander Ian Anderson, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Suarez made 99 appearances for the Angels since making his MLB debut in 2019, but he'll now continue his career in Atlanta. The left-hander started in three of his 22 outings last year and had a 6.02 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 56:27 K:BB over 52.1 innings. He'll likely fill a long-relief role with his new team, assuming he even sticks on the big-league roster.
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Braves' Jesse Chavez: Back with Atlanta
Rotowire
Chavez agreed to a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Sunday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
The 41-year-old was released by Texas on Friday, and it didn't take long for him to rejoin Atlanta. Chavez has now signed four one-year contracts with the club since 2021 and posted a 2.91 ERA in 172 appearances during that span. He could be included on the Opening Day roster if he showcases himself well in the next couple days, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Wraps up spring in style
Rotowire
Sale gave up three hits and a walk over four scoreless innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He struck out five.
The veteran southpaw finishes his spring with a 2.79 ERA and 20:5 K:BB through 19.1 innings. Sale's checkered injury history wasn't erased by last year's National League Cy Young Award -- he hasn't worked 25-plus starts in back-to-back seasons since 2018-19 -- but he's shown no hint of a health concern in camp and looks ready to take the bump for Atlanta on Opening Day, just three days before his 36th birthday.
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Braves' Nathan Wiles: Traded to Atlanta
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Atlanta acquired Wiles from the Rays on Friday in exchange for cash considerations, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Wiles, 26, spent last season at Triple-A Durham, posting a 5.54 ERA and 72:26 K:BB over 87.2 frames. He's struck out 11 and walked two over 6.1 innings this spring. Wiles will likely be assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
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Braves' Hector Neris: Makes Atlanta's roster
Rotowire
Atlanta selected Neris' contract from Triple-A Gwinnet on Friday.
Neris has made just two Grapefruit League appearances after signing a minor-league contract earlier this month, but they were scoreless outings and he's now officially part of the Opening Day bullpen. The veteran reliever could eventually work his way into a setup role ahead of closer Raisel Iglesias.
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Braves' Spencer Strider: Second spring start set
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Strider (elbow) will start Sunday's spring game against the Orioles and is scheduled to throw about 45-50 pitches, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
It'll be the second Grapefruit League appearance for Strider, who is nearing the end of his rehab from an internal brace procedure. The right-hander threw 27 pitches across 2.2 innings during his spring debut Monday, and he'll require at least a couple more outings after Sunday to ramp up his workload. Strider could be ready to join Atlanta's rotation in mid-April.
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Braves' Enyel De Los Santos: Added to roster
Rotowire
Atlanta selected De Los Santos' contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.
De Los Santos earned a spot in Atlanta's Opening Day bullpen by permitting only two runs with a 7:1 K:BB over 6.2 Grapefruit League innings. The 29-year-old right-hander is likely to operation in low-leverage situations initially.
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Braves' Drake Baldwin: Cracks Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Atlanta selected Baldwin's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.
The news does not come as a surprise, as it's been pretty clear Atlanta was planning for Baldwin to be its primary catcher while Sean Murphy (rib) is sidelined. Murphy is expected to miss at least the first couple weeks of the season, although there's no clear target date for his return yet. Baldwin has batted .313 (10-for-32) with a 2:7 K:BB this spring after posting a .276/.370/.423 slash line with 18 home runs between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett in 2024. He could be optioned to Gwinnett once Murphy is ready but will have an opportunity to show he deserves to stick around.
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Braves' Bryan De La Cruz: Looks ready for Opening Day
Rotowire
De La Cruz is batting .297 (11-for-37) through 15 Grapefruit League appearances with a 3:6 BB:K.
While the 28-year-old outfielder hasn't left the yard yet this spring, three of De La Cruz's hits have been doubles. The former Marlin is in line to handle the short side of a platoon in right field alongside Jarred Kelenic while Ronald Acuna completes his recovery from knee surgery, a role that should suit De La Cruz -- he slashed .285/.309/.425 in 188 plate appearances against left-handed pitching last year, versus a .210/.254/.365 line off righties in 433 PAs.
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Braves' Hector Neris: Making case for bullpen spot
Rotowire
Neris gave up a hit and a walk over a scoreless inning in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.
The veteran right-hander got the start on a bullpen day for Atlanta, and Neris was able to work around a Johan Rojas leadoff double. He's made only two spring appearances since signing an NRI deal in early March, but Neris has gotten up to speed fairly quickly and seems in line to begin the season with a spot on the 26-man roster, although he may work in middle relief rather than getting handed a setup role in front of closer Raisel Iglesias.
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Braves' Daysbel Hernandez: Rounding into form
Rotowire
Hernandez gave up a hit and a walk over 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out four in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.
While Alec Bohm was the only likely Opening Day starter in the Philadelphia lineup, Hernandez carved up the bench players and minor leaguers he did get to face. The right-hander was still a little erratic, however -- he plunked one batter and also uncorked a wild pitch. Atlanta is hoping Hernandez can emerge as a high-leverage option this season, but he'll need to sharpen his control to take that next step after posting a 32:13 K:BB through his first 21.2 big-league innings.
