Why the Braves Should Carry 14 Hitters for the Wild Card Series

In a best-of-three, Atlanta may get more value from one extra bench bat than from a 13th pitcher it never needs to use.

Just like there’s not a rule that says a dog can’t play basketball, there’s no MLB rule that says you’re required to carry 13 pitchers.¹

In a short series like this week’s Wild Card matchup against Philadelphia, the Braves might opt for an extra bench piece versus carrying a 13th arm they might not use in a best-of-three.

Here are the potential options for how the Braves might set their roster on Tuesday morning for the NL Wild Card.

Let’s talk about it.

Position Players (14)

The primary reason to carry an extra bat over an extra arm comes down to situational use; there’s more utility in having the flexibility for a key pinch-hit AB on the bench than there is with an extra arm out of the pen.

So let’s run through each position and look at the possibilities here:

Catcher (2): Drake Baldwin, Sean Murphy

My assumption here is that Sean Murphy, despite a rough September (36 wRC+), will likely still be behind the plate against lefties at least, given that even his rough 2025 featured an OPS over .800 versus southpaws. Baldwin would move to DH in those situations, although I’m not sure Murphy’s done enough this month to install him as the full-time starter behind the plate for the postseason. Open to being proven wrong on this one, though.

Infield (5): Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Ha-Seong Kim, Austin Riley, Kyle Farmer

Farmer’s not really going to play in the infield; he’s almost solely here as the emergency catcher. Kim likely starts at shortstop against left-handers, given that someone will need to step into left field.

Utility (1): Mauricio Dubón

And that someone is Dubón, who is likely going to be the starting shortstop against righties and take over in left field when a southpaw is on the mound. If Atlanta wanted to be aggressive with it, he could play some third base or second base while Kim mans shortstop, if needed, but I doubt Walt Weiss pulls one of those two slumping veterans out of his lineup.

Outfield (5): Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuña Jr., Mike Yastrzemski, Brewer Hicklen, DaShawn Keirsey Jr.

Harris and Acuña are your everyday starters out there, with Yastrzemski in against righties and Dubón replacing him vs lefties. Hicklen makes the roster as the fourth outfielder, while Keirsey is the pinch-runner.

Designated Hitter (1): Dominic Smith

Smith’s likely the reason you’re carrying a 14th-position player in this round - his lefty bat can provide thump in a late-game pinch-hit appearance, which is likely more marginal utility than adding a 14th pitcher in a short series where you’ll have plenty of arms.

Possible lineups

vs RHP: I’m still waffling on Baldwin at catcher or DH, although if he is behind the plate instead of Murphy, there are two options to play it: Dom at DH, or Hicklen in left and Yastrzemski at DH.

DH Drake Baldwin
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
1B Matt Olson
CF Michael Harris II
SS Mauricio Dubón
2B Ozzie Albies
LF Mike Yastrzemski
3B Austin Riley
C Sean Murphy

vs LHP: Being honest, I hate that Ozzie would be batting cleanup here, but unless you leave Ronald in the #2 spot, you need someone to break up a run of lefties in Baldwin/Olson/Harris. Maybe Dubón gets the nod instead?

RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
DH Drake Baldwin
1B Matt Olson
2B Ozzie Albies
CF Michael Harris II
LF Mauricio Dubón
3B Austin Riley
C Sean Murphy
SS Ha-Seong Kim

Pitchers (12)

Atlanta’s likely carrying the full complement of 13 arms if they advance and face LA in a best-of-five, but it’s just hard to imagine Atlanta exhausting 12 pitchers in a three-game series. Besides, it’s not like there’s someone beating down the door to be included at the moment.

Starting pitchers (3): Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, Grant Holmes

Whether Holmes actually gets a start in a potential game three or comes in after an opener, he’s still the bulk guy for that game (if it gets played) and so I’m putting him in this group. Strong “one of these things is not like the others” vibes to it, though.

Bullpen (9): Raisel Iglesias (closer), Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee (L), Dylan Dodd (L), Ray Kerr (L), Victor Mederos, Brent Suter (L), AJ Smith-Shawver

We can break these guys up into a few different roles, based on how Atlanta might try to use them.

Single-inning leverage: Raisel Iglesias is the closer, with setup coming from some combination of Suarez, Lee, and Dodd. That’s not to say that these guys can’t go multiple innings, just that the likely intended usage will be one inning at a time, either as a fireman or in a traditional leverage role.

Multi-inning leverage: Didier Fuentes has been starring in this role all September, frequently pitching two innings at a time. AJ Smith-Shawver has been used like that in the final week of the season, and so it’s incredibly likely he’s Plan B to Didier’s Plan A.

Bulk leverage: Victor Mederos is the real wild card here - they’ve used him both for bulk innings and for leverage opportunities when short-handed. Felt appropriate to break him out from the rest of the guys to acknowledge that.

Bulk/openers: Atlanta’s first two games in Miami were opened by Kerr and Suter, respectively, and one of the two will likely get the ball ahead of Grant Holmes if the Braves need to play a game three on Thursday. Outside of that scenario, it’s probably not a good thing for the Braves if either one of them gets the ball at some point in the first two games.

Possible pitching plans:

Game 1: This is the “let-Chris-Sale-pitch-as-long-as-he-wants” game. Go to the pen when he’s done, and trust him to handle whatever situation he gets himself into.

Sale: 7 innings
Suarez: 1 inning
Iglesias: 1 inning

Game 2: Sorry, Tyler Mahle - you may have been the best starter of everybody traded at the deadline, but only Sale gets that sort of leash.

Mahle: 5 innings
Fuentes: 2 innings
Dodd or Lee: 1 inning
Iglesias: 1 inning

Game 3 (if necessary): If it gets here, the Braves will need to piece it together opposite Philly ace Zack Wheeler, but they have the pieces to do it.

Kerr/Suter: 2 innings
Holmes: 3-4 innings
Smith-Shawver: 2 innings
Dodd or Lee: 1 inning
Suarez or Iglesias: 1 inning

Sale gets the ball on Tuesday opposite Jesús Luzardo at 2:15 PM ET on Peacock.

1. The rule is that, of your 26 players, no more than 13 can be pitchers.