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Braves Tag New Catcher for 2025 Opening Day Lineup

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Aaron Diaz | Last updated Mar 18, 2025 2:01 PM ET

With just 9 days away from Opening Day 2025, Atlanta has started to nail down their starting positions. According to Stripers report the Braves will put catcher Drake Baldwin behind the plate on Opening Day with Chris Sale on the mound.

NEWS: The Atlanta Braves will start C Drake Baldwin on Opening Day 2025, sources tell Stripers Report. This comes after the release of Curt Casali and the reassignment to Minor League Camp of Sandy León. Braves are not actively looking in the FA market, sources tell SR.
— Stripers Report (@StripersReport) March 17, 2025

The 2022 third-round draft pick for the Braves will make his MLB debut against the Padres in San Diego.

Baldwin's numbers have steadily increased since his start in the minor leagues. He has consolidated a .276 batting average, with a .379 OBP and a .807 OPS.

With Atlanta's many injuries last season, Sean Murphy was ready to be behind the plate this season but a cracked left rib left Murphy out for 4-6 weeks. That allowed Baldwin to step up and show his ability during Spring Training.

Baldwin has lit up Florida with ten hits in 30 at-bats giving way to a .333 batting average and a .844 OPS.

As a young Braves prospect, seeing the dynamic between a rookie's first season in the big leagues and a team looking to win it all will be interesting.

Now the question remains if Baldwin will win the spot over Murphy or will he be a platoon catcher for the remainder of the year.

Atlanta has not made an official announcement about the promotions of Baldwin as of March 18th.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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