Braves Spring Training Update: Morton makes his debut, Strider dominates, and roster cuts
Charlie Morton and Spencer Strider had a fantastic day, but the Braves made further roster cuts on Tuesday afternoon.
The spring training schedule is progressing well, and the regular season will soon begin in a few weeks.
There will be further roster cuts as the regular season approaches. The Braves optioned Dylan Dodd, Daysbel Hernandez, Ian Anderson, Darius Vines, and Allan Winans to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday. Pitcher Ben Bowden, reliever Tommy Doyle, and catcher Tyler Tolve were sent to minor-league camp.
Braves cut five players from roster
The Braves sent down five more players on Tuesday and then made even more cuts. Three position players and two pitchers were among them cut. Grant Holmes and Jake Walsh were the two pitchers that were sent down. Among the position players that were reallocated were Alejo López, Leury García, and Phillip Evans.
Atlanta is still weighing its choices for the 2024 season, with 45 players left in Spring Camp. Eventually, the squad will need to reduce their roster to only 26 players. Most of the roster’s makeup is quite clear to us, but there may be some surprises given the competition for bench positions like infield utility and backup outfielder. Surprises may also lie in the pitching division.
The Braves have no qualms about starting the regular season with the top 26 players from spring training. That was demonstrated to us last season when outstanding performances by Dylan Dodd and Jared Shuster won them slots in the rotation. When it comes to spring training, you should always prepare for the unexpected.
Strider and Morton impress in recent appearances
It’s no secret that Spencer Strider is one of baseball’s top strikeout pitchers. But now that he’s added what a lot of people are referring to as a curveball to his toolkit, things are even more intriguing. According to Strider, he has only modified the slider’s form, but whatever he has done is really effective.
Strider was excellent once more on Tuesday afternoon, pitching four innings while giving up four hits, four strikeouts, and one walk. He reached three strikeouts with the curveball. Strider has pitched nine innings, giving up 0 runs on seven hits, in three Grapefruit League starts. Thirteen strikeouts and three walks have been recorded by him.
If the Detroit lineup couldn’t handle Strider’s fastball and breaking ball, they now had to face with Charlie Morton.
On Tuesday, Morton made his debut and appeared to be in fine shape throughout his 2.2 innings pitched. The Tigers managed two hits off of him, but he did not allow a run. In addition, he struck out three hitters and walked two others. Charlie’s curveball still has the same velocity and looks crisp. The 40-year-old veteran of Major League Baseball is about to embark on what may be his last season.
Jackson Stephens and Tyler Matzek were two other pitchers that turned in noteworthy efforts on Tuesday. Matzek pitched one scoreless inning while getting one batter out. Additionally, Stephens finished one inning and gave out one walk.
In the end, the Braves defeated the Tigers 3-0. Two of the three runs were driven in by Phillip Evans, and the third and last run was driven by Chadwick Tromp. In addition to maintaining his excellent play, Forrest Wall made a fantastic catch in left field.
David Fletcher went one-for-two while displaying his strong defense, capping off another fantastic spring. Right now, he is hitting.500 with two runs scored, one walk, three RBI, and a double. Plus, he’s played some good defense. Fletcher was supposed to spend time at Triple-A improving his swing, but it looks like he could force the Braves to make the team.
On Tuesday morning, Atlanta was also informed with optimism that Ronald Acuna Jr.’s meniscus irritation in his right knee is the only issue. Nothing more is there, and Opening Day is when he is expected to be ready. To be ready for it, he will progressively increase his baseball activities over the following four weeks.
As the regular season draws near, Atlanta’s positive start to the spring will probably continue. The Braves are expected to have a very intriguing 2024 season.