With Opening Day on the horizon, the vibes are decidedly mixed around the Atlanta Braves. This is very clearly a contending team in the NL East, but last season was a sobering reminder of how fragile contention is. The Braves are in store for better injury luck, we hope, but there is no shortage of question marks surrounding Atlanta in late March.
Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. are on track for returns early in the regular season, but the Braves continue to sort through depth issues in both the starting rotation and the outfield.
Alex Verdugo was a nice value signing, but neither Bryan De La Cruz nor Jarred Kelenic feel all that reliable. Plus, Jurickson Profar has already given Atlanta its first major injury scare of the campaign. Meanwhile, the absences of Max Fried and Charlie Morton will be deeply felt. Bryce Elder looks solid this spring, but neither Chris Sale nor Reynaldo Lopez are historically the most durable.
Atlanta continues to deal with bullpen shortcomings and the ongoing Sean Murphy question, too, which leads us to the latest roundup of Braves news.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Reynaldo Lopez is struggling to miss bats in Braves spring training
Reynaldo Lopez was a revelation for the Braves in 2024, earning his first All-Star berth and emerging as a legitimately elite option for a team starved for rotation depth. He posted an impressive 1.99 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 26 appearances (25 starts), racking up 148 strikeouts in 135.2 innings.
He experienced some injury flare-ups late in the season, but Lopez largely impressed and appeared on track for another productive campaign in 2025. The early returns this spring, however, paint a worrisome portrait.
The numbers are actually quite good on the surface — Lopez has a 2.08 ERA across 13 innings — but there are negative trends. He went six scoreless innings, for example, in his final spring training start, but he only registered two strikeouts and three whiffs. His average velocity sat at 93.3 MPH, well below his 95.5 MPH average last season. He now has just five strikeouts in 13.0 innings this spring, with a shaky 1.31 WHIP.
Consistency has long been an issue for Lopez. It's too early to call last season a fluke, but if Lopez can't turn things around quickly, these trends will eventually blow up in his face. The Braves already lack back-end rotation depth. If Lopez falls off, Atlanta is in trouble.
Sean Murphy remains confidence in long-term outlook despite injury
Sean Murphy has missed the majority of Braves spring training with a cracked rib after being limited to just 72 games in 2024. The All-Star catcher continues to trudge through injury setbacks, which has led to natural uncertainty around Atlanta's long-term outlook at the position. A strong spring from Drake Baldwin, the Braves' No. 1 prospect, puts a ticking clock on Murphy's Braves tenure.
Still, the 30-year-old remains confident in his own abilities and believes this will all blow over in time.
"I’m still the same guy,” Murphy told reporters. “I just got to get over this little speed bump."
Murphy was cleared to resume certain baseball activities this week, but he still hasn't faced live pitching. The expectation is that Atlanta will begin the season with Baldwin behind home plate and Chadwick Tromp as his backup until Murphy is up to speed. Baldwin spoke glowingly of Murphy's leadership and his experience with the Braves' veteran pitchers. It feels like the 23-year-old is on the fast track, so Murphy can't afford to float in limbo too much longer.
When healthy, Murphy ranks among the very best defensive catchers in baseball. In his 2023 All-Star campaign, Murphy hit .251 with an .844 OPS, mashing 21 home runs. He's a two-way force at his best, but it remains to be seen if Murphy's self-confidence will actually lead him back to peak performance.
Braves sign Jesse Chavez (again) in effort to reinforce the bullpen
Jesse Chavez has been around the block once or twice. At 41 years old, the 2021 World Series champ has been with Atlanta for three separate stints already. And now he's back, like he never left, signing a minor-league contract after the Texas Rangers let him go.
The inevitable has happened: #Braves signed Jesse Chavez to a minor league deal, after the 41-year-old was released by the Texas Rangers a couple of days ago.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 23, 2025
This truly was inevitable. Of course this is how it (probably) ends for the talented righty, who seems to play his best baseball in a Braves uniform. We can fairly question how much the righty has left in the tank, but Atlanta's bullpen depth has been a source of concern all winter and into the spring. We've already seen Alex Anthopoulos go the sentimental route, bringing Craig Kimbrel back to the ATL. Now Chavez joins the relief crew, providing a bit of extra depth in front of Raisel Iglesias and Pierce Johnson.
Right now, it seems as though Kimbrel and Chavez will both start the campaign with Triple-A Gwinnett. It will hardly be shocking when either (or both) get the big-league call-up, however. This wouldn't be the first time Anthopoulos has resurrected a veteran's late-career value. The Braves have a way with this sort of thing, and both Kimbrel and Chavez have a strong track record with Atlanta across their chest.
Chavez appeared in 46 games for the Braves last season, posting a 3.13 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He recorded 55 strikeouts across 63.1 innings.