REPORT: Three Braves Starters Expected to Travel for Spring Opener

Three Atlanta Braves players expected to be on the Opening Day roster will make the trip to Fort Myers for the Spring Training opener

These three guys are expected to play in the Spring opener | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Spring Training games have finally arrived down in Florida. A handful of notable names will travel with the Atlanta Braves over to Fort Myers for the first Spring Training game of the season. Starting pitcher Chris Sale, catcher Sean Murphy and outfielder Jarred Kelenic are the three reported to be on the road to play the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. 

Jarred Kelenic will be on the trip. Bryan De La Cruz will not. https://t.co/7wU5s3K5YZ

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) February 21, 2025

Sale being part of the squad was previously reported on Wednesday. He has been tabbed as the Spring opener starter. Sale is coming off a big comeback season that saw him win his first career Cy Young Award. 

He finished his award-winning season with an 18-3 record, a 2.38 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, a 174 ERA+ and 225 strikeouts across 177 2/3 innings pitched in 29 starts. 

Murphy is in the opposite situation as Sale. After an All-Star season in 2023, everything went wrong in 2024. He was sidelined for nearly two months with an oblique injury after Opening Day and he never quite looked right at the plate after he returned. 

In 72 games in 2024, Murphy has a slash line of .193/.284/.352 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs. He had 16 total extra-base hits. He ended up splitting a significant amount of playing time with Travis d’Arnaud, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels over the offseason. He’s expected to get significantly more playing time for this reason. 

However, with catching prospect Drake Baldwin getting a lot of hype early in spring, he suddenly has to prove quickly he’s the all-star we saw the season prior. 

The Braves and Twins got head-to-head on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. 

NOTE: It was originally reported that Bryan De La Cruz was traveling with the team. That has since changed and has been updated accordingly.