The North Port Report: Braves Offense Pounds Twins, but Joey Wentz Gets Bad News

Here's everything you need to know from Braves Spring Training in North Port, FL from Monday

Welcome to The North Port Report, your nightly notebook from Braves spring training. Each evening, we’ll run through the biggest developments from camp: roster battles, injury updates, standout performances, and the small details that matter more than they seem in early March. The games may not count yet, but the information does.

Here’s what stood out today

Atlanta’s offense continues to rake in spring. Interim shortstop Mauricio Dubón had a good day, going 2-3 and driving in three thanks to a single and a double. Michael Harris continued flashing his much-improved eye at the plate, going 1-3 with 2 RBI and a stolen base. I was particularly heartened to see him twice jump on a first-pitch fastball, one of his weaknesses last year as he was trying to be more passive and take more pitches. Austin Riley’s ready to get bubble-wrapped and sent to Truist, as he picked up three consecutive singles to open the contest, two of them within the first two pitches of the at-bat and two at 98 mph or harder. Drake Baldwin also had two hits, including a double, while working as the designated hitter.

But as good as the offense looked, the pitching was…not as crisp. Staked to an 8-0 lead, the Braves barely squeaked by in this one, 9-8, thanks to five Twins home runs. Most of the damage was inflicted by two depth pieces, Carlos Carrasco (four runs in 2.2) and Tyler Buchannan (three runs in two-thirds of an inning). The actual major league options that the Braves will be counting on, including Robert Suarez, Dylan Dodd, and Aaron Bummer, all got through their outings without any runs allowed. Hayden Harris did get tagged for a solo homer, but otherwise struck out the side in the 8th.

UPDATE: Right as I was putting the finishing touches on this, I was interrupted from publishing to go let the dog out. During that brief interlude, we got the news from the Braves beat down in North Port that Joey Wentz will be out for the season with a torn ACL. We’ll break down Atlanta’s roster math tomorrow and cover what options exist if the Braves finally decide to reinforce the rotation with an external add. Thanks for delaying me a few minutes, Bandit.

Quick Hits

• Today was Aaron Bummer’s first appearance since February 27th and while he got through the outing okay (one hit batter, one strikeout), he did not look okay while doing so. His four-seam fastball was sitting in the high-80s, and hopefully that’s just continued ramp-up instead of side effects of last season’s shoulder issue. He was already down to a career-low 91.6 mph average last season, and more deterioration of his fastball leaves him heavily dependent on his curveball and what appeared to be a revamped and harder slider with less break than his old sweeper.

• OF Luis Guanipa, a former top prospect who has fallen to the back half of most team top 30s, worked an impressive nine-pitch walk off of big leaguer Andrew Morris. Down 0-2 almost immediately, he protected when needed but otherwise took some sweepers and fastballs off the plate before ducking out of the way of an up-and-in sinker for the walk.

• JR Ritchie is scheduled to make his first spring appearance since February on Tuesday, getting the start in Dunedin against Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays. Chris Sale, who is on the same starting schedule as Ritchie, will stay back in North Port and throw a simulated game at the team’s facility.

Roster Battle Tracker

Stock UP

Eli White. The speedy outfielder is having a great spring training, picking up his seventh hit in just twenty spring at-bats. He’s been hitting the ball hard (two batted balls of 109.3 or harder) as well as flashing his speed - his first inning hit on Monday was a grounder to third that he beat out, thanks to a 30.1 ft/sec dash to first. With Jurickson Profar no longer in the team’s plans for 2026, White stands to gain a lot of playing time and so far, he’s shown that he is capable of carrying the load.

Stock DOWN

Carlos Carrasco. The veteran known as “Cookie” might just be cooked. He got through a scoreless first inning before falling apart in the second inning today, quickly getting to two outs before giving up an HBP, a double, and two home runs to allow the Twins to get back into the ballgame. It’s the continuation of a tough spring for Carrasco, one where he’s given up nine earned runs on eleven hits in just 6.1 innings.

At this point, I’m worried that anything more than a spot start or two from Carrasco is going to be a problem for the Braves.

Observation of the Day

I can’t get over how good Atlanta’s outfielders have looked this spring. Michael Harris has seemingly found the patience and discernment that we’ve been waiting on at the plate, Mike Yastrzemski continues to just crush the ball, and Eli White looks a lot more confident in the box and is making solid contact. Between those three and Ronald Acuña Jr., this could be a special season out on the grass for the Braves if they all keep this up into the regular season.

Tomorrow’s watch list

The Braves being on the road means a chance for some of the backups to get extended run. I’m hopeful John Gil gets a start at shortstop, although they’ve usually been giving Jorge Mateo first crack at shortstop.