Projecting Braves Lineup if 2026 Season Started Right Now

Soon enough, the winter will turn to spring, and Atlanta Braves baseball will be back. A major question surrounds how the offense can bounce back. It’ll take a mix of the right additions and bouncebacks from current members of the lineup to ensure those timely key hits return. 

The offseason is in its early stages, but the Braves are a team with a relatively easy lineup to project for next season. They’ve already made a notable move, which helps with that as well. Here, we’ll project the lineup and then discuss it. 

Note: The order of this lineup is strictly in order of position. Lineups change frequently, so the focus shifts to positions. Imagine putting Olson second in the lineup before the start of last season. You never know. 

Of course, who is in which position can also change, as we saw last season. That is factored into this projection.

Lineup

1. Drake Baldwin/Sean Murphy, Catcher
2. Matt Olson, First Base
3. Ozzie Albies, Second Base
4. Mauricio Dubon, Shortstop 
5. Austin Riley, Third Base
6. Jurickson Profar, Left Field
7. Michael Harris II, Centerfield
8. Ronald Acuña Jr., Right field
9. Drake Baldwin/Sean Murphy, Designated Hitter

Bench

• Eli White, Utility (mainly outfield) 
• Vidal Brujan, Utility
• Nacho Alvarez Jr., infield 
• Brett Wisely, infield 

Two positions could see changes this season: shortstop and designated hitter.

For now, it’s looking like we’ll see Baldwin and Murphy rotate between catcher and DH. There are worse scenarios than this. However, it’s not the most ideal situation, and the Braves aim to add a designated hitter if possible. This situation is one of the ones that have explicitly been said to be contingent on whether they can get another bat. 

The same goes for shortstop. Dubon is an option who could be the starting shortstop. However, they made it clear that they’re still on the lookout. 

Should the Braves find a designated hitter option, this would create another dilemma at catcher. Last season’s emergence of Drake Baldwin created a headache. His bat wasn’t in the lineup as often as anyone would have liked to have seen. Murphy has been a trade candidate in the past. Perhaps he still gets moved this offseason if they find the DH. Muprhy's health status, which they'll know more of in January, will play a role in these decisions.

For now, this is how the lineup is projected. By the new year, we could have to rewrite the whole thing. But that’s the fun part about the offseason. There is an uncertainty to it that means anything can happen.

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