SAN DIEGO — The Braves on Tuesday announced their roster for the best-of-three wild card series against the Padres.
The biggest news: No Chris Sale.
It seemed unlikely that he would pitch in San Diego, but now it’s official. The Braves will be without Sale, their best starting pitcher, for this series because of his back spasms.
Bryce Elder and AJ Smith-Shawver, who spent the season as depth starters, made the roster. Spencer Schwellenbach and Grant Holmes, who both started games in Monday’s doubleheader, aren’t on the roster because they wouldn’t have been available to pitch.
At the time they announced their roster, the Braves still hadn’t revealed their starter for Tuesday’s Game 1. The team hasn’t revealed its rotation plan, but Max Fried is lined up to start Game 2 and Reynaldo López could start Game 3.
Another omission: Adam Duvall. This is not a surprise, but it will grab fans’ attention because Duvall has been part of different postseason runs for the Braves. This season, he hit .182 and, as a right-handed bat, is redundant because he doesn’t offer enough speed or defense to carry.
Here is the full roster:
Pitchers
LHP Aaron Bummer
RHP Jesse Chavez
RHP Bryce Elder
LHP Max Fried
RHP Daysbel Hernández
RHP Raisel Iglesias
RHP Luke Jackson
RHP Joe Jiménez
RHP Pierce Johnson
LHP Dylan Lee
RHP Reynaldo López
RHP Charlie Morton
RHP AJ Smith-Shawver
Catchers
Travis d’Arnaud
Sean Mutphy
Infielders
Ozzie Albies
Orlando Arcia
Whit Merrifield
Matt Olson
Gio Urshela
Outfielders
Michael Harris II
Jarred Kelenic
Ramón Laureano
Jorge Soler
Eli White
Designated Hitter
Marcell Ozuna
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