Atlanta

Braves

Kim tore a tendon in his right middle finger in January, and the initial prognosis is that he would be out for four-to-five months. This would put him on schedule or slightly ahead of it. He has not yet started hitting, and we don’t know what the injury will do to his power production, so he is still be left undrafted in all redraft formats.

This was to be expected, with Spencer Schwellenbach needing elbow surgery and AJ Smith-Shawver also sidelined after elbow surgery. Despite being limited to just one start last season, we’d much rather gamble on López in fantasy drafts, who posted a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 148/42 K/BB ratio in 2024. Holmes is also coming off a late-season UCL injury that he did not have surgery for in the offseason, so he remains a huge risk in fantasy leagues.

Holmes feels good and ready to battle for a rotation spot this spring. “That was the first image I’ve ever had on my elbow,” he said. “So, nobody knows if that [UCL] tear was there beforehand and [the new injury] was really just a flexor [strain]. Honestly, I think that’s what it was, because if I had a tear in the flexor tendon and the UCL, that would have been a whole lot different. I wouldn’t have recovered as fast.” Holmes initially seemed destined for a bullpen spot in 2026, but the Braves never did make a much-anticipated rotation addition this winter and now they’ve already lost Spencer Schwellenbach for months. It’d seem to leave Holmes in good position at the moment, though it’s still possible the Braves could bring in a starter.

Alvarez hasn’t shown a lot of potential at the plate, but being able to serve as a viable third catcher would help his chances of making it as a bench player. The 22-year-old has hit .216/.277/.298 in 240 plate appearances since debuting with the Braves in 2024. As things stand now, it’s probably between him, Brett Wisely and Kyle Farmer for the last spot on Atlanta’s bench.

Jiménez already missed all of last season following knee surgery, and he needed a cleanup procedure in November. He was very good when last seen, amassing a 2.62 ERA over 68 2/3 innings as a setup man in 2024, but it’s unclear what he’ll have to offer this season as he enters the final year of a three-year, $26 million pact.

The Braves claimed Wisely off waivers from the Giants last September, DFA’d him and traded him to the Rays last month and now are getting him back with the 60-day IL giving them some extra 40-man roster maneuverability. The 26-year-old Wisely is a career .214/.265/.319 hitter in 466 major league plate appearances, most of which came with the Giants in 2023 and ’24. He’ll have a decent chance of claiming the last spot on the Braves’ bench.

The Braves filed at $2 million, so this is a case that seemingly could have been avoided. The 31-year-old Lee had a 3.29 ERA in 68 1/3 innings out of Atlanta’s pen last season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration two more times before he’ll reach six years of service time.

That explains why the 34-year-old hurler wasn’t seen around camp when pitchers and catchers reported. No word yet on how long Suarez will need to resolve the visa issue, but it won’t impact his availability for the start of the regular season. He’s expected to function in a setup capacity in front of incumbent closer Raisel Iglesias.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman says it’s worth $1.25 million. With Sean Murphy expected to miss time to open the season, the Braves needed to add quality depth behind the plate and they do so by picking up the best option that was still available on the open market. Heim should begin the season as the backup to Drake Baldwin, though he’s unlikely to see enough playing time to gain relevancy from a fantasy perspective.

Ouch. That’s never the news that you want to hear to open spring training. The last update that we got from Braves’ president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos back in November was that Schwellenbach was pain-free. The Braves are hopeful that he’s just dealing with bone spurs, but it’s going to cost him the first two months of the season at a minimum. It’s a tough early break for the Braves and for fantasy managers who may have invested in Schwellenbach in early drafts.