Three Braves Prospects Who Should Get Post-Deadline Auditions for 2026

With the Atlanta Braves looking out of the playoff picture in 2025, it would be best to use the rest of the season giving some prospects some playing time

Might as well see what these guys can do | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

After how this season has turned out, it's time to see what the future has in store for the Atlanta Braves. It would be wise to take advantage of the extra roster spots in September to see how some prospects are looking at the Major League level.

Let's take a look at three top prospects who should get auditions down he stretch for next season. This list will go in order of where they rank on MLB.com's top-30 prospect list.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. (No. 3 Prospect)

In Alvarez's case, it's more of a call back, but call backs are part of auditions nonetheless. It would be good to see how he does in a larger sample size. He's played 16 total games in the Major Leagues and showed some improvement in his second time up with the team.

While he only batted .200 with a .483 OPS overall, he had two multi-hit games and reached base in five of the eight games he played recently. It's an improvement on the three hits in 30 at-bats he had last season.

Some more playing time could give him a chance to get a better handle on Major League pitching, which help him take a step forward for next season.

Hurston Waldrep (No. 4 prospect)

It looked like the Braves were going to finally give him a shot. That didn't happen. They went and got Erick Fedde and Carlos Carrasco instead. However, Waldrep has shown recently that he's earning a shot.

He's coming off his best start of the season, pitching seven shutout innings, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out eight. In four starts in July, he had a 0.78 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched. Whatever was waiting to click might be clicking. This is the best he's arguably looked in his professional career. He got shelled in his first shot in the bigs, but he's earning a right to show that that's not going to happen again.

Hayden Harris (No. 29 Prospect)

Harris recently represented the Braves in the All-Star Futures Game, striking out the lone batter he faced in the game.

The left-handed reliever has been steller across multiple levels of the minor leagues this season. In 29 appearances this season, he has a 0.79 ERA in 29 games pitched this season. In Triple-A Gwinnett, he's got a 0.77 ERA in 11 games while holding batters to a .139 average.

He's currently not on the 40-man roster, but if they want to see him up there, somebody can be moved. It'll already need to be done with Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach each coming off the 60-day injured list. Add in one more pitcher to the mix.