Atlanta

Braves

The good news is that an MRI exam revealed no ligament damage, though he is dealing with loose bodies so they still want the expert to take a look at it. Weiss noted that at this point, it’s “hard to say” whether or not the 23-year-old hurler will miss any significant time. Look for the Braves to provide an update on his status after that exam.

The procedure required six weeks of recovery time. The 32-year-old outfielder noted that he began feeling discomfort in September and it continued to linger as he started his offseason workout routine. He’s reportedly fully recovered now and enters spring training without any restrictions. Profar hit .245/.353/.434 with 14 homers, 43 RBI and nine stolen bases in 318 at-bats with the Braves during the 2025 season while missing 80 games due to a PED suspension.

Holmes was sitting in the mid-90’s with his fastball during his latest early-spring throwing session, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos confirmed earlier this week that the 29-year-old, who is working his way back from a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, will have a spot in the club’s season-opening rotation. He’s a worthwhile late-round dart throw in deeper mixed leagues, especially if Atlanta opts against putting a governor on his workload.

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.