With Spring Training heating up, so is competition for the Atlanta Braves’ Opening Day Roster. With their lineup mainly set and a competition for the fifth starting spot and the back end of the bullpen, there isn’t a room on the plane heading to battle the San Diego Padres on March 27 and it’s resulted in a couple rounds of cuts early in camp.
Pitchers Dennis Dodd and Hurston Waldrep were the first two Braves to be optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday but there are more cuts to come. The second round of cuts came on Wednesday evening when the Braves sent another pair of pitchers to the minor leagues, trimming their current roster down to 54 players.
Davis Daniel, Amos Willingham Optioned in Latest Round of Braves Roster Cuts
The Braves announced that pitchers Davis Daniel and Amos Willingham were optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday evening.
The #Braves today optioned LHP Dylan Dodd and RHP Hurston Waldrep to Triple-A Gwinnett, and reassigned RHP Enoli Paredes and RHP Royber Salinas to minor league camp. Atlanta now has 56 players in camp.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) February 25, 2025
Daniel was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels last December and threw two innings with a walk and a strikeout during Spring Training. While he does have some upside as a back-end starter, he’s gone 2-5 with a 5.06 ERA in nine major league appearances (six starts) and didn’t have a spot on the 40-man roster. With a minor league option remaining, the 27-year-old was an easy candidate to be cut.
The same fate went for Willingham, a 25-year-old that came over from the Washington Nationals organization this winter. The right-hander appeared in two games for the Braves this spring, allowing an earned run with a triple, four strikeouts and no walks but wasn’t projected to be a candidate for the Opening Day roster. In 19 major league games with the Nationals, Willingham posted an 0-2 record and a 7.11 ERA in 25.1 innings.
The moves bring the Braves another step closer to figuring out their pitching staff for Opening Day. Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach are locked into rotation spots to start the season while Grant Holmes, Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder and A.J. Smith-Shawver are battling for the final two spots. Spencer Strider is also rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but will miss at least the opening month of the season.