Port Charlotte, Florida.Opening Day will have one more unique touch for the Braves: Forrest Wall, a journeyman prospect who has persevered through a long path, will be on the roster. On his first Opening Day, he will take part in the national anthem among his teammates in Philadelphia.
Following Monday’s game against the Rays in Port Charlotte, the Braves reassigned Luke Williams, David Fletcher, Eli White, Chadwick Tromp, Drake Baldwin, and Andrew Velazquez. Following these cuts, the Braves have 28 players in camp, but two of them are pitchers Penn Murfee and Angel Perdomo, who are recovering from Tommy John surgery and will not be ready for the start of the season.
This means the Braves’ 26-man roster, barring any unforeseen additions, is set. Jackson Stephens is set to be the long man out of the bullpen. Reynaldo Lopez, the Braves announced on Monday morning, will be the fifth starter.
And Wall has earned – yes, earned – the final bench spot. The 28-year-old will have a well-deserved Opening Day experience. The Braves knew they could go many ways with the final bench spot, but Wall won out for a few reasons.
First, he had a terrific spring and the Braves wanted to reward that. He showed improvement at the plate to go along with his good defense and blazing speed. And he made their postseason roster a year ago. Wall is also on the 40-man roster, unlike Williams and White. The fact that he made the postseason roster and is already on the 40-man almost makes him a higher-status player, at this point, than the others.
Although Fletcher made a strong impression in spring training, carrying him would’ve been too redundant to utility infielder Luis Guillorme. In December, the Braves outrighted Fletcher off the 40-man roster, which means he was, semantically, a minor-league player entering camp. Williams was a non-roster invitee in camp.
In 33 at-bats this spring, Wall has hit .303 with a .971 OPS. Of his 10 hits, three are homers. He has 10 RBIs and three stolen bases. Spring statistics don’t always matter, but in the battle for the final roster spots, they may be taken into account more.
It’s possible the 26th spot on the roster will become a revolving door. We could eventually see Williams, White, Fletcher or someone else in that role. The Braves could change course early in the season.
