Atlanta

Braves

Walker is removed from the 40-man roster to make room for a pair of new roster additions for Atlanta via waivers. The 31-year-old was just claimed off waivers from Baltimore last month, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if another club grabs him. If not, Walker will be eligible to elect free agency if he so chooses.

Molina is one of two new Atlanta hurlers, as the team also snatched Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Athletics. Molina is only 23, and while he has not had any real success at the highest level, he’ll get a chance to prove he’s more than organizational depth this spring — assuming he sticks on the 40-man roster, of course.

Bido, 30, was successful in 2024 with a 3.47 ERA for the Athletics, but struggled in 2025 with a 5.87 mark over 79 2/3 innings. The right-hander will have a chance to earn a spot on the Atlanta staff in spring training.

Gamel split his 2025 season between the Tigers’ and Angels’ organizations where he slashed a healthy .281/.402/.539 with 10 homers, 26 RBI, two swipes and a 58/33 K/BB ratio over 214 plate appearances mostly at the Triple-A level. Given his strong defensive chops, there’s a chance that he could push for a reserve spot on the Braves’ Opening Day roster with a strong showing during Grapefruit League action.

Six years after the team made him a 15th-round pick, Pope, 27, made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks last season, pitching two scoreless innings in September. Alas, it wasn’t enough to prevent him from getting outrighted after the season. Pope also ended up with a 4.60 ERA and a 34/10 K/BB in 29 1/3 innings for Triple-A Reno. He’ll be a long shot to win a spot in the Braves bullpen next spring.

A split contract is an agreement in which the player will earn two different salaries depending on whether they are on the Major League Baseball roster or the Minor League Baseball roster. Young’s MLB salary would be for $925K in 2026. The left-hander pitched just 8 1/3 innings for the Mets in 2025 and had previously pitched for the Braves in 2023. In 60 2/3 MLB innings, he has a 4.01 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 78/25 K/BB ratio.

Acuña cut back on his running after returning from a torn ACL last season, finishing with nine steals in 95 games for the Braves, but he’s swiped six bags in just three games for the Tiburones. That seems like a big deal for his 2026 fantasy value, though running so much might make it more likely that he gets hurt again.

The 27-year-old right-hander spent each of the last three seasons in the Royals’ organization. In 2025, he posted a 4.46 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 45/17 K/BB ratio over 42 1/3 innings in 26 appearances at Triple-A Omaha. He’s likely ticketed for the bullpen at Triple-A Gwinnett to begin the 2026 campaign.

Hernández represents an interesting low-risk gamble for Atlanta heading into next season. The 30-year-old righty, who holds a pedestrian 5.10 ERA across 303 1/3 innings over 99 appearances (49 starts) in the majors since 2018, finished last season in Toronto’s system after two seasons pitching overseas for the LG Twins in Korea.

Acuña obviously couldn’t play for his hometown team last winter because he was recovering from an ACL tear, but this will be his third stint with La Guaira in the last four years. He hit .398/.524/.717 over 31 games in the first two.