PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Opening Day will have one more special touch for the Braves: Forrest Wall, the journeyman prospect who has persevered through a lengthy journey, will be on the roster for Atlanta. He will line up in Philadelphia with his teammates for the national anthem on his first Opening Day.
After Monday’s game versus the Rays in Port Charlotte, the Braves reassigned Luke Williams, David Fletcher, Eli White, Chadwick Tromp, Drake Baldwin and Andrew Velazquez. After these cuts, the Braves have 28 men in camp – but two are pitchers Penn Murfee and Angel Perdomo, who are rehabbing after Tommy John surgery and won’t be ready for the start of the season.
This means the Braves’ 26-man roster, barring any unforeseen additions, is set. Jackson Stephens is set to be the long man out of the bullpen. Reynaldo Lopez, the Braves announced on Monday morning, will be the fifth starter.
And Wall has earned – yes, earned – the final bench spot. The 28-year-old will have a well-deserved Opening Day experience.
The Braves knew they could go many ways with the final bench spot, but Wall won out for a few reasons.
First, he had a terrific spring and the Braves wanted to reward that. He showed improvement at the plate to go along with his good defense and blazing speed. And he made their postseason roster a year ago. Wall is also on the 40-man roster, unlike Williams and White. The fact that he made the postseason roster and is already on the 40-man almost makes him a higher-status player, at this point, than the others.
Although Fletcher made a strong impression in spring training, carrying him would’ve been too redundant to utility infielder Luis Guillorme. In December, the Braves outrighted Fletcher off the 40-man roster, which means he was, semantically, a minor-league player entering camp. Williams was a non-roster invitee in camp.
In 33 at-bats this spring, Wall has hit .303 with a .971 OPS. Of his 10 hits, three are homers. He has 10 RBIs and three stolen bases. Spring statistics don’t always matter, but in the battle for the final roster spots, they may be taken into account more.
It’s possible the 26th spot on the roster will become a revolving door. We could eventually see Williams, White, Fletcher or someone else in that role. The Braves could change course early in the season.
The Braves understand this isn’t permanent. If Wall doesn’t see the field for two weeks, they can send him down to get everyday at-bats at Triple A. (This isn’t to say they would, but they can if they choose to do so because he has minor-league options remaining.)
Before going with Wall, the Braves needed to discuss this: Would it be better for Wall to receive everyday at-bats in Triple A to keep him sharp in case there’s an injury and he’s needed at the big-league level?
If you remember, this is what they did with Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake. They are different cases than Wall, but they illustrate the school of thought that some players are better served developing in the minors instead of sitting on the bench. The 26th man on the roster hardly ever plays because of the universal designated hitter and the fact that the Braves’ starters play every day.
The Braves decided to give Wall a spot on the Opening Day roster. It’s a heartwarming story: A first-round pick of the Rockies out of high school in 2014, Wall didn’t debut until last season. He continued grinding year after year for the chance to be in the majors. The Braves are Wall’s fourth organization.
This paragraph is from a column written by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Ken Sugiura: “(Wall) remembers traveling the Pioneer League in a bus carrying more than 40 teammates with no trip shorter than 6 ½ hours. With wife Brianna, he has encircled the country, chasing a dream as an Asheville Tourist, a Modesto Nut and a New Hampshire Fisher Cat, among others.”
Wall – previously with the Rockies, Blue Jays and Mariners – wasn’t retained after 2020, 2021 or 2022. In February 2023, the Braves signed him to a minor-league deal and invited him to spring training. He opened the season in Gwinnett.
He told The AJC that “if I wouldn’t have gotten an opportunity in the offseason to go to spring training with a team last year, I think then I kind of would have been like, ‘O.K, maybe what’s next?’”
In 2023, he debuted in Milwaukee. Then he was good enough to make the postseason roster because of his ability to steal bases.
And now, he’s expected to be with the Braves for Opening Day on March 28 in Philadelphia.
When the Braves discussed the final bench spot and weighed all of the factors, including Wall’s fantastic performance this spring, they came to a conclusion: Why not reward him?
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