Will Depth Be an Issue for the Braves in 2025?
After a season of injuries and struggles, did the Atlanta Braves do enough this offseason to bolster the depth of their roster?
The Atlanta Braves entered spring training with health at the forefront of their minds. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider are both on track to return by early May, and after a slight scare in camp, Jurickson Profar avoided a major injury and should be ready for Opening Day.
Atlanta did lose Sean Murphy to the IL due to a cracked rib. However, Just Baseball’s No. 1 ranked Braves prospect and No. 17 overall prospect, Drake Baldwin, is primed to step in until Murphy returns.
When fully healthy, the Braves boast one of the most dangerous lineups and most productive starting rotations in baseball. But after a 2024 season plagued with injuries, Atlanta learned just how important depth is over the course of the season.
With spring training in full swing, now is the perfect time to assess who can step up and provide that depth in 2025.
Braves Offensive Depth
Let’s start with the offense. In 2024, the Braves saw Acuña, Murphy, Travis d’Arnaud, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, and Michael Harris II miss significant playing time throughout the season. That amount of loss is too much for any team to overcome, even the Atlanta Braves.
Heading into 2025, the offense is much healthier, and it will only improve when Acuña returns in May. At full strength, this lineup is one of the most dangerous in the game. However, the baseball season is long, and injuries are inevitable.
Jarred Kelenic leads the competition for playing time among the remaining outfielders. Once considered one of baseball’s top prospects, he has struggled to secure consistent playing time in his short big league career.
Kelenic seemed to figure things out at the plate in 2023 with the Seattle Mariners, slashing .253/.327/.419 with a .746 OPS, but a dugout outburst led to a broken foot that ended his season. Atlanta acquired him the following offseason, hoping he could build on that success.
In the first half of 2024, it seemed that he had indeed built upon his success from 2023, posting a .721 OPS through 74 games. However, his performance declined sharply, as he hit .183 with a .595 OPS in the second half, ultimately losing his job to in-season signee Ramón Laureano.
It later came out that Kelenic played much of the 2024 season with injuries, though he refused to use them as an excuse.
The 2025 season is a make-or-break year for Kelenic. He will begin the season as the Opening Day right fielder but will be demoted to a bench role once Acuña returns. With Marcell Ozuna locked in at DH, Kelenic’s early-season at-bats will be crucial in proving he deserves playing time when starters need rest or injuries arise. If he can replicate his 2024 first-half production off the bench, it will provide a huge boost for Atlanta.
Bryan De La Cruz was brought in this offseason to compete for a job this upcoming season. Having played parts of four seasons with the Miami Marlins, he is a familiar foe to Atlanta.
De La Cruz had a solid start to 2024 with a .411 SLG and .700 OPS through 105 games before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where his performance took a turn for the worse.
His 2022 Statcast metrics showed elite batted-ball data, but his production has steadily declined since:
Entering 2025, De La Cruz faces a steep uphill battle to secure a bench role and not find himself in Triple-A. His key to success will be to secure the platoon role alongside Kelenic versus left-handed pitchers.
Nick Allen was another off-season addition the Braves brought in to compete for a depth role. A career .209 hitter, Allen will need a significant offensive leap to secure consistent at-bats.
His primary value lies in his defense, making him a potential late-inning replacement if Orlando Arcia struggles again in 2025, allowing Atlanta to use a pinch hitter without sacrificing late-inning defense. With experience at second base, shortstop, and third base, Allen’s versatility could prove valuable.
This may not be an exciting role, but it could be a very valuable one down the stretch.
The Braves selected Christian Cairo in last year’s Rule 5 draft. After forgoing his commitment to LSU to sign with Cleveland in 2019, Cairo unfortunately saw his development delayed by the COVID-canceled minor league season.
Cairo has spent five seasons in the minor leagues, accumulating a career .673 OPS. The utility man has experience at every position on the diamond outside of pitcher and catcher, so this versatility may give him a leg up on the battle for a bench role as he could provide defensive support at any position.
Finally, Eli White remains in the mix after spending the last two seasons in the Braves organization. In 2024, he appeared in 35 games, slashing .282/.333/.436 with a .769 OPS in limited action. His familiarity within the organization and production last season could very well set him up to secure a role for 2025.
As things stand today, Kelenic, Baldwin, and Chadwick Tromp are likely to make the Opening Day roster. Spring training will be crucial for De La Cruz, Allen, Cairo, White, and Nacho Alvarez Jr. as they try to position themselves to fill in the remaining bench voids.
Braves Starting Rotation Depth
I’ve mentioned this in previous articles, but it bears repeating: The Braves are missing roughly 330 innings from their rotation due to the departures of Max Fried and Charlie Morton in free agency.
Chris Sale is coming off a Cy Young Award-winning season, and both Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach emerged as key rotation pieces in 2024. Strider, while coming off significant elbow surgery, will look to make his return to the starting rotation by the end of May.
That leaves a clear void for the fifth starter role and a temporary opening until Strider returns. Several pitchers are vying for these spots.
Ian Anderson remains a fan favorite for his 2021 World Series heroics, but he has not since returned to that form. After a rocky 2022 season with a 5.00 ERA, 4.25 FIP, and a 1.51 WHIP, he underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2023.
Anderson returned to the mound in 2024, appearing in 15 minor league games. However, he failed to earn a call-up back to Atlanta. Now out of minor league options, Anderson is healthy for the first time since 2022 and competing for a spot in the rotation. If he fails to earn one, he may shift to the bullpen in 2025.
Grant Holmes is my personal favorite to ultimately secure the fifth starter role. He made his long-awaited MLB debut in 2024 and impressed, posting a 3.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and elite chase (35.1%) and whiff (32.4%) rates across 26 appearances.
His ability to pitch in both the bullpen and rotation gives the Braves flexibility and has earned him the trust of the coaching staff. Like Anderson, Holmes is also out of minor league options and will likely find himself on the Opening Day roster in some capacity.
Bryce Elder has the most big-league experience, with 50 starts over the last three seasons for the Braves. This is highlighted by a 2023 season in which Elder was named a National League All-Star, finishing the season 12-4 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.
However, these numbers don’t tell the whole story, as he severely regressed in the second half of the season and has yet to return to that form.
This spring, Elder finds himself yet again fighting for a starting role. If he can regain his ability to limit barrels and baserunners, Elder will get his shot at the big leagues yet again.
The most intriguing option is AJ Smith-Shawver. Just Baseball’s No. 3-ranked Braves prospect, Smith-Shawver has started six games in his young career between 2023 and 2024. Atlanta may have pushed him up too quickly in 2023, as his 6.69 FIP may display, so Smith-Shawver spent the majority of 2024 in Triple-A.
Although he struggled in the minors last season, he will still only be 22 years old this year. Smith-Shawver has displayed the athleticism and ability that keep most believing in his talent. If he can refine his command and limit hard contact, he could be the next young Braves pitcher to make noise in MLB.
Summary
Depth is often an overlooked aspect of a team over the long baseball season. The Atlanta Braves have the opportunity to let spring training battles play out into the beginning of the regular season, with Acuña and Strider set to miss at least the first month of the year.
The Braves have become experts at using a revolving door between Triple-A and the majors to fill voids, and fans should expect to see many of these names, and more, at some point in 2025.
Atlanta is well-positioned depth-wise, as long as the starters stay healthy. The current depth options fit well into their roles, but if they’re forced into larger responsibilities, the risk of repeating the struggles of 2024 increases.
While there’s no need to panic, the reality is that the Braves’ championship hopes rest heavily on keeping their core players on the field.
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Taylor is a baseball enthusiast and a writer for Just Baseball. An Atlanta native, he shares his love for the Braves, card collecting, and scouting the…