Braves' Opening Day roster mostly set

LAKELAND, Fla. -- When the Braves came to Spring Training, they knew (barring injury) exactly how their starting lineup and rotation would look at the start of the regular season. They were confident they had enough depth to construct what could be an effective bullpen and also cognizant of the fact that their bench might be a problem.
Six weeks later, the lineup and rotation are still set to line up as projected. The bullpen picture has only been slightly altered by the emergence of Eric O'Flaherty, as well as Mauricio Cabrera's recent elbow soreness. And unfortunately for the Braves, there are still some concerns about the four-man bench they could carry while opting to go with an eight-man bullpen.
Still, Braves manager Brian Snitker believes he has a pretty good idea about what his roster might look like for the April 3 Opening Day game against the Mets at Citi Field.
"There are still a couple of questions and a couple of decisions, but I think we're closing in on it," Snitker said. "Obviously, we've probably got to have something by Tuesday, because we leave Wednesday. There are still a couple discussions to be had, but I think the guys are coming from the mix that's here."
While the bullpen will likely consist of internal options, the final spot on the bench could be filled by a trade or signing that is made after it becomes apparent which players might become available once other teams make their final roster decisions.
So instead of having their roster in place by the time they travel to Atlanta on Wednesday, the Braves wait until their roster is due on April 2 before making their final decisions.
"Anything can happen within the next few days, too," Snitker said. "When guys come available, there's nothing to say [our plans] couldn't change."
Jace Peterson and backup catcher Kurt Suzuki will almost certainly fill two of the four available bench spots. Non-roster invitee Emilio Bonifácio has also inched his way toward near-lock status. If the Braves stay internal, the final spot would go to Chase d'Arnaud, who is out of options. But for now, d'Arnaud stands as the player most likely to be affected if a better external option is found.
Snitker's revelation on Friday that Cabrera felt some right elbow discomfort this week has at least altered the bullpen projection. The six pitchers who can currently be deemed near-locks are Jim Johnson, Arodys Vizcaíno, José Ramirez (reliever), Ian Krol, O'Flaherty and Josh Collmenter. O'Flaherty struck out two in a scoreless inning of work in the Braves' 3-2 loss to the Tigers on Friday.
One of the other two spots could be reserved for a left-hander, either Paco Rodriguez or Kevin Chapman, who is out of options. If Cabrera is unavailable, the other spot could be given to non-roster invitee Blaine Boyer or Chaz Roe, who is out of options.