NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Mauricio Dubón will begin the season as Atlanta’s starting shortstop. But he will enter the season knowing that on any given day he could play a variety of positions, including left field, which is where he started Monday afternoon’s 11-2 win over the Rays.
This marked the first time this spring that Dubón played anywhere other than shortstop this spring. But there’s not much concern about his defensive versatility. The 31-year-old veteran was recognized as the American League’s best defensive utility man with the Gold Glove Awards twice in the past three seasons (2023 and ‘25).
“I wanted him to run out there [in left field] one time this spring,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “It's not an issue for him. He can go out there and get balls off the bat in BP. He's a baseball player.”
Dubón will serve as the Braves starting shortstop in place of Ha-Seong Kim, who isn’t expected to return from right middle finger surgery until some point in May. But that doesn’t mean he won’t play multiple positions during the season’s first month.
On those nights when Mike Yastrzemski is pinch-hit for against a left-handed reliever, Dubón could make a late-inning switch from shortstop to left field. Jorge Mateo would be a candidate to come off the bench to replace Dubón at short. But if the speedy Mateo has already been utilized as a pinch-runner, Weiss would have the option to keep Dubón at short and finish the game with Eli White in left field.
Once Kim makes his expected return in May, Dubón could make starts at multiple positions every week. His presence will allow Weiss to follow through with his plan to rest his regulars on a regular basis. Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II will all get a chance to get off their legs, by not playing or by filling the designated hitter spot, more frequently than they have in the past.
Out of time?
Daysbel Hernández won’t be ready for the start of the season, and it seems like fellow right-handed reliever Ian Hamilton might also be too far behind to be considered a candidate for Atlanta’s Opening Day roster.
Hamilton pitched against the Rays on Monday. But this was just his second appearance of the spring and first since he experienced unspecified discomfort after a Feb. 23 outing against the Orioles. Hernández finished last season on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder discomfort. He hasn’t pitched yet this spring.
Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Tyler Kinley, Dylan Lee, Aaron Bummer and Joel Payamps seem to be near locks to fill six bullpen spots to begin the season.
José Suarez strengthened his roster bid by throwing four scoreless innings against the Phillies on Sunday. He is out of options, but his ability to throw multiple innings or make a spot start could make him valuable for the Braves as they enter the season with their rotation depth depleted.
Other top candidates for a bullpen spot are Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd, JR Ritchie and Martín Pérez. Being on the 40-man roster will seemingly give Fuentes and Dodd an advantage over the other two.
Monday's takeaways
• Chris Sale seems ready for his expected Opening Day start. The 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner was very efficient as he totaled 75 pitches (53 strikes) while limiting the Rays to a run over six innings.
• Drake Baldwin tallied a rare triple when Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson was unable to make a diving catch in the second inning. He later homered. Each of the three balls the Brave catcher put in play were hit 101 mph or harder. A hard-hit ball is defined as anything with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. Twenty of the 23 balls the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year has put in play have qualified as hard-hit.
• Spencer Strider will get his work in by throwing to Braves hitters in North Port on Tuesday. Reynaldo López will start against the Red Sox in Fort Myers on Tuesday.