Three Players Who Could Make or Break Braves 2026 Season

The Atlanta Braves are looking to bounce back in 2026, and they'll need help beyond the top stars on the roster

These players could put the Braves over the hump | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Spring training is officially underway. Atlanta Braves' pitchers and report on Monday, and full squad workouts are a week away. As everyone gets set for the 2026 season, let's see who some key players are who could make or break this upcoming season.

Based on the trend from last season, we're going to look at two bats and a starting pitcher.

We're looking deeper than some obvious answers. Obviously, if Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Chris Sale, the team's 2025 All-Stars, vanished into thin air, this team will be in trouble.

There are nine men in the lineup and five arms in the rotation. This is to evaluate who will be a difference-maker beyond the most consistent players on the team.

Jurickson Profar

Year two of his contract is arriving. It's time to see what he can bring to the table for the Braves over a full season. Profar looked solid at the plate once he was able to get back in the lineup. That production likely would have made a difference in the early half of last season. This time, it'll get to, barring a step back in production or an injury.

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After a slow start in his initial return, Profar picked up the pace. In his final 51 games, he batted .258 with an .862 OPS, 11 home runs and 32 RBIs. He was on a season-long pace of 35 home runs and 101 RBIs. He eliminated the doubts that were rightfully there after the suspension.

Seeing action in the World Baseball Classic will give him a chance to prepare for the season during games that matter. While there are benefits to the relatively relaxed backdrop of the Grapefruit League, I say relative to avoid disregarding the expected fight for roster spots, getting yourself mentally into the competitive space helps, too.

Spencer Strider

Whether or not he just needed an offseason to get recalibrated is yet to be determined. While Strider's return from his UCL injury looked promising at times, he struggled immensly during parts of 2025.

His overall numbers were serviceable. In 23 starts, he had a 4.45 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP and 131 strikeouts in 125 1/3 innings pitched. However, he struggled with the longball for much of the summer, especially if his slider didn't get the break he was looking for.

Once he was healthy, he gave the Braves what they needed most, and that was an arm who was pitching every five days. Next season, they're going to need more than that. They're going to need a true bounce-back season from him if they want to get back into contention.

Mike Yastrzemski

The timing of this evaluation is perfect with Marcell Ozuna inking a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yastrzemski is not officially the successor to the Braves' longtime DH, but he will be a de facto one, to an extent. He's not the full-time DH, but he's an outfielder who is expected to see his share of time at DH.

This team needs a boost on offense. That same big bat Ozuna brought to the table shouldn't be expected from Yastremski, but he's expected to bring some power. He brings an improved glove over the aforementioned Profar, so perhaps we'll see a defensive boost at times as well.

He's primarily played at two pitcher-friendly ballparks, Oracle Park in San Francisco and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. He'll go from two of the ballparks near the bottom of the league for left-handed home runs to one of the best. We just have to see how many shots ultimately land in the Chop House.