HOUSTON -- The Braves will spend the regular season’s final week focused on making their final postseason preparations.
Atlanta clinched a postseason berth with a win over the Astros last Friday. The Braves then won their seventh National League East title within the past nine years this past Sunday.
With their loss on Thursday, the Braves guaranteed they will be the NL’s No. 3 seed, meaning they will host the No. 6 seed in next week’s NL Wild Card Series.
Here’s a look at some questions you might have about the roster construction, rotation plans and playoff scenarios:
What might the postseason roster look like?
The Braves will be playing in the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series, which is played over three straight days and begins Tuesday, two days after the regular season concludes. If they were to participate in the best-of-five NL Division Series, which includes two off-days and begins on Oct. 3, the roster construction, namely the pitching staff composition, could look different.
C: Drake Baldwin, Sean Murphy, Chuckie Robinson
1B: Matt Olson
2B: Ozzie Albies
SS: Mauricio Dubón, Ha-Seong Kim
3B: Austin Riley
LF: Mike Yastrzemski, Brewer Hicklen, DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
CF: Michael Harris II
RF: Ronald Acuña Jr.
SPs: Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, Grant Holmes
RPs: Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, AJ Smith-Shawver, Victor Mederos, Ray Kerr, Brent Suter, James Karinchak
What are the options?
Keirsey would be the primary option to come off the bench as a pinch-runner.
Hicklen gets the nod as a backup outfielder, with Lane Thomas expected to miss the Wild Card Series while recovering from a strained left intercostal muscle. While Thomas is sidelined, Dubón could play left field against left-handed starters. This would open the door for Kim to get a start at the shortstop position.
With Drake Baldwin frequently serving as the designated hitter, the Braves will likely carry a third catcher. Kyle Farmer has recently served as the team’s emergency catcher. But Robinson or another Triple-A catcher seems the likelier option to serve as a third catcher.
Suarez threw one scoreless inning for Triple-A Gwinnett in a rehab outing on Sunday and allowed a run in an inning for Atlanta on Wednesday. These were his first two appearances in a game since June 19. As long as his right elbow continues to cooperate in Saturday’s appearance, he should be on the Wild Card Series roster.
What is the postseason schedule?
Click here for MLB’s full postseason schedule.
The NL Wild Card Series begins on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and the NLDS begins on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Who will they face?
The Phillies are currently positioned to be the No. 6 seed. With three games left, they will enter Friday at least one game behind both the Cubs and Padres. San Diego would move two games in front of Philadelphia with a win on Thursday in Los Angeles.
How could they line up their rotation for the first series?
With just three healthy experienced starters remaining, there’s no reason to debate the options. Sale will start Game 1, Mahle will start Game 2 and Holmes would start Game 3.
What is the Braves’ most recent postseason history?
The Braves were eliminated in the NLDS in both 2018 and '19. When they advanced to the 2020 NLCS, it marked the first time since '01 they had advanced past the NLDS. They haven’t won a playoff series in any of the three postseason trips they’ve made since winning the 2021 World Series.