Braves Today host Lindsay Crosby breaks down the 2026 Opening Day roster of the Atlanta Braves, catching you up on the trades, free agent signings/departures, and early injuries that will shape the trajectory of the 2026 season. Stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley are back, but there are several early-season absences like Sean Murphy (hip injury) and Jurickson Profar (PED suspension). On the pitching side, Chris Sale is the Opening Day starter, but young studs Spencer Strider (oblique) and Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) will miss time, among others.

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Host Lindsay Crosby argues the Braves are making a mistake by planning to rely on Jose Suarez or Martín Pérez for the fifth starter role after Spencer Strider’s injury, while keeping Didier Fuentes in long relief and then sending him back to Gwinnett. Crosby proposes a better alignment: put JR Ritchie in the rotation, use Suarez (who is out of options) as a long man alongside Fuentes, and keep Pérez in the minors since his opt-out deadline has passed. He weighs pros/cons, including Fuentes’ limited pitch mix and past struggles, Ritchie’s ground-ball profile and PPI eligibility, and the downside of adding Ritchie to the 40-man and potentially burning options early. He also notes the weak free-agent market (headlined by Lucas Giolito) and suggests the Braves’ strong spring offense could buy needed rotation wiggle room amid MLB-leading starter injuries.

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Lindsay Crosby reacts to Reynaldo López’s rough final spring start vs. the Twins, focusing on a concerning fastball velocity dip (averaging 89.2 mph) despite spring being more about process than results, and notes López later told media the issue was mechanical with no pain or discomfort. The show reviews the likely Opening Day rotation order—Chris Sale, López, Spencer Strider—then discusses how the roster appears largely set, including Didier Fuentes making the team as a long reliever during a 13-games-in-13-days stretch before returning to Gwinnett, with bullpen shuttling options like James Karinchak. Crosby also covers Dom Smith and Kyle Farmer making the roster on split contracts, Martín Pérez staying in the organization at Triple-A, and highlights the Braves’ 8–3 Spring Breakout win over the Yankees with standout pitching performances from Owen Murphy, Rolddy Muñoz, Garrett Baumann, and Herrick Hernandez.

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