Walt Weiss Names Key to Braves Staying Healthy in 2026

NORTH PORT – The Atlanta Braves are just about a month into spring training and the Walt Weiss era, but how the team’s new manager will lead this team remains to be seen. The further along we go, the more we learn.

The latest iteration of this came on Monday when Weiss sat down with Foul Territory of FOX Sports. The Braves’ manager was asked how he plans to keep players fresh throughout the 162-game season, and his answer came in direct contrast to the way his predecessor went about doing things.

Former manager Brian Snitker was adamant about players going out for all 162 games. While he was in charge, players would regularly suit up and play as many games as they were able. Just in the last several years, Matt Olson has not missed a game for four consecutive seasons, while Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Marcell Ozuna, Orlando Arcia, Austin Riley, Ronald Acuña Jr., and more have all regularly played 155 or more games.

With Weiss taking over, that method appears to be a thing of the past.

“That’s been the culture here, and that’s a good thing. These guys love to play, and they want to play,” the manager said. “But you start going around the diamond, and injuries are starting to mount on most of these guys – Olson being the outlier.

“I'm going to pick spots to get these guys off their feet. They're still going to play a lot, if they're healthy, 150-plus games. I’m just not looking for them to play 160-plus, so based on schedules, matchups, day after night, [or if they are] struggling. You use your eyes and the information to make those decisions of when to give a guy a day before an off day, so he gets two. All those things I’ll take into consideration, but I’m going to pick my spots and give these guys a break here and there.”

Injuries have been a particular bugaboo for the Braves in recent years, but especially these last two seasons. A lot of those simply came down to some bad luck, but some were critical of Snitker’s approach. They claimed he was pushing players too hard during the heart of the season, but the longtime manager never went back on his way of playing the game.

With this new approach, the Braves will hope to see a cleaner bill of health in the 2026 regular season.

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