ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves are gearing up to begin a postseason run on Saturday night with the start of the National League Division Series that they hope ends with their second championship in three seasons.
The expectations are sky high, after Atlanta stormed to the best record in baseball and the postseason's No. 1 overall seed.
Their NLDS opponents, however - Philadelphia - sprang an upset last year in this same round with a hot run that eventually took them to the World Series. And in two Wild Card round games against Miami, Philly looked scorching hot yet again.
The Braves on Saturday, ahead of Game 1, announced the Division Series roster they'll be hoping can put a fall chill into the Phillies.
Atlanta Braves NLDS roster
- Pitchers: Bryce Elder, Max Fried, Brad Hand, Daysbel Hernández, Raisel Iglesias, Joe Jiménez, Pierce Johnson, A.J. Minter, AJ Smith-Shawver, Spencer Strider, Michael Tonkin, Kirby Yates
- Catchers: Travis d'Arnaud, Sean Murphy
- Infielders: Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, Vaughn Grissom, Nicky Lopez, Matt Olson, Austin Riley
- Outfielders: Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Marcell Ozuna, Kevin Pillar, Eddie Rosario, Forrest Wall
Who's in
- Among pitchers, Daysbel Hernández's inclusion is perhaps the most surprising, though it was reported ahead of time by MLB.com's Mark Bowman that this was in the works. The 27-year-old only threw about 25 innings in the minors this year, most of them for Double-A Mississippi, but they were good innings - 2.19 ERA collectively, 36 strikeouts and 13 walks. He gave up three runs in 3 2/3 big league innings in July. It's a remarkable opportunity for the Cuban right-hander though, after missing all of 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and much of this year injured. He made just three appearances for Gwinnett in September as he returned to action - now he could very well appear in the playoffs.
- Bryce Elder's status was also up in the air. The right-hander was an All-Star this season but struggled badly in the second half, with his ERA rising from 2.45 on July 3 to 3.81 by the end of his final start on Sept. 26. The Braves have signaled their faith in the 24-year-old, though, as a possible third starter for this series.
- Vaughn Grissom made the team even though he hasn't appeared in the big leagues for the Braves since August. The infielder could get a chance to provide some pop off the bench nonetheless after he produced a .330/.419/.501 line for Gwinnett this year.
Who's out
- Kyle Wright, a breakout star last year and 21-game winner, never found a groove in his limited time back after missing most of the season following a shoulder injury in May. He allowed 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings across four September starts. His last two outings were more encouraging - 5 1/3 innings, just two runs allowed, six strikeouts, one walk - but evidently weren't enough to swing the Braves at least for now. (Update: Wright has actually been placed on the 60-day injured list, with the shoulder again injured, ruling him out for the entire postseason.)
- Veteran right-hander Jesse Chavez was excellent for the Braves this season, recording a 1.56 ERA in 36 appearances, but his missed all of July and August and it appears the Braves were not quite convinced he's fully back.
- There is a longshot chance Charlie Morton could come back in this series - he appears close to being fully recovered from a finger issue and in theory he could come off the injured list if someone else gets injured during the series and needs to be replaced. That would require permission from the Commissioner's Office, however.