JR Ritchie will have to wait for his big league debut with the Braves Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

One Braves Prospect Reassigned, Another Expected to Stick Around

Originally posted on Atlanta Braves on SI
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 6:16 PM ET

The Atlanta Braves have made sweeping reassignments as swing training nears its end. The team announced Friday evening that six players have been removed from big league camp. Thirty-six players remain active, including a key prospect pitcher.

A major player to highlight is right-hander JR Ritchie, the No. 2 prospect in the system. He has been reassigned along with catcher Sandy León, infielder Luke Williams and outfielders Ben Gamel and Jose Azócar. Left-hander Dylan Dodd has been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

On the pitching side, Jose Suarez and Didier Fuentes are expected to stick around.

Fuentes is expected to have a long relief role to start the season, per a source. He’s already on the 40-man roster, unlike Ritchie. He’s also looked good out of the bullpen this spring. It could be a good way to get him better acclimated to big-league hitters.

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Despite the strong spring, Ritchie will start the season in Gwinnett. In four appearances, he has a 2.25 ERA, a 0.58 WHIP and 14 strikeouts across 12 innings pitched. When the time comes, he’ll see action in the majors. It’s only a matter of time.

It’s not too surprising that the prospect phenom, Fuentes, is sticking around big league camp. He’s retired 27 consecutive batters since he beaned the first batter he faced. He’s collected 17 strikeouts, including eight in his most recent outing.

Suarez is out of options, and he has already been designated for assignment, claimed and then reclaimed this offseason.

He was tendered by the Braves back in November. He has the start on the mound on Friday night against the Pirates. It appears he will have some type of role with the big league club to start the season.

With these recent moves, it’s looking more like Bryce Elder will at least stick around in some capacity. He’s likely to be in the rotation again to start the season, based on recent moves.

Gamel appeared to have a strong case to join the major league roster. However, the Braves have opted to start his season in the minor leagues after slowing down significantly over his past few games. He is batting .206 with an .847 OPS in spring training.

He remains a solid candidate to see action this season, should they need another outfielder. This could be a sign that Dominic Smith could have a shot at being placed on the 40-man roster. He’s still in big league camp at this time.

Walt Weiss has highlighted Smith as a potential bat who could make the roster earlier in spring training, even before Jurickson Profar was suspended.

The Braves take on the Pirates in North Port on Friday. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.

This article first appeared on Atlanta Braves on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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