Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos spoke to reporters today, including David O’Brien of The Athletic, covering a variety of topics. The head man in Atlanta offered details on the club’s plans at DH, along with some health updates on a couple of pitchers.
While Anthopoulos didn’t rule out bringing back Marcell Ozuna, he said the team prefers to leave DH open and split the role among multiple players. Ozuna has been Atlanta’s primary DH since the 2023 season. He’s made just two appearances in the field the past three years.
Ozuna lost his stranglehold on the position midway through last season, with the Braves looking to get both Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin in the lineup. The downturn in playing time, along with Ozuna’s pending free agency, led to frequent trade rumors in July. He ultimately remained with the team through the trade deadline. He socked five home runs in the first two weeks of August, but hit just one more the rest of the season.
The 35-year-old Ozuna has spent the last six seasons with the Braves. He led the National League in home runs and RBI in the shortened 2020 season. Ozuna struggled with injuries and poor performance over the next two campaigns. He bounced back to deliver some of the best results of his career in 2023 and 2024, totaling 79 home runs with 100+ RBI in each year.
Baldwin, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, will be a fixture in the middle of the lineup next season. Murphy struggled to hit for average last year, but provided solid power numbers and strong defensive stats. He’ll likely earn the majority of the work behind the plate.
On the pitching side, Anthopoulos said Grant Holmes hasn’t had any setbacks in his recovery from a partial UCL tear and will be treated like a healthy pitcher this offseason. That update likely puts Holmes on track for the start of the 2026 season. The right-hander went down with right elbow inflammation in late July and was ominously placed directly on the 60-day IL. He went the rest-and-recovery route with the elbow injury and seems to have ducked surgery, given his progression thus far.
Holmes will be on the periphery of the starting rotation to open the season, but he’s likely the next man up if anyone goes down, which is exactly what happened last year. Spencer Strider hit the IL shortly before the season began, thrusting Holmes into a starting role. He came through with decent production at the back of the rotation, posting a 3.99 ERA over 22 appearances (21 starts). Holmes struck out more than a batter per inning, though his walk rate ballooned to 11%. Free passes hadn’t been much of an issue for Holmes, including in his swingman role in 2024, so perhaps the elbow injury played a role there.
Atlanta’s rotation will be headlined by Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Strider. Hurston Waldrep impressed late last season with a revamped arsenal, so he’ll likely retain a spot. Reynaldo Lopez missed nearly all of 2025 with a shoulder injury, though he should be back to begin next season. The Braves have given extra off days to their starters in recent seasons, particularly for Sale, so Holmes could find his way to starts even with everyone healthy.
The health update wasn’t as positive for Joe Jimenez. The reliever missed all of last season after undergoing knee surgery in March. Anthopoulos said Jimenez recently had a “cleanup” procedure on the knee. Anthopoulos added that the club isn’t counting on Jimenez until he ramps up throwing and proves he’s healthy.
Atlanta acquired Jimenez in a December 2022 trade that sent Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jake Higginbotham to the Tigers. He was a crucial part of the late-inning mix in 2024, racking up 27 holds and three saves. Jimenez cleaned up the walk issues that plagued him at times in Detroit, while maintaining substantial strikeout numbers.
The Braves have already been active on the free agent reliever market, re-signing Raisel Iglesias and Joel Payamps. Jimenez’s troublesome knee could lead to another addition, specifically from the right side. The club’s other high-leverage arms, Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer, are both left-handed.
Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images
Rangers are interested in making a move for Sean Murphy and Braves are willing to talk.
Pretty positive outcome with the number of injuries