Braves Shave Five Players Off Spring Training Roster in Latest Move

The Atlanta Braves continue to narrow down their spring training roster as Grapefruit League play marches on. The team announced just ahead of first pitch on Thursday that they optioned right-hander Jhancarlos Lara to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Meanwhile, four players have been reassigned to minor league camp: right-hander Austin Pope and infielders Jim Jarvis, Alex Lodise and Luke Waddell. Big league camp has been reduced in size to 54 players.

Lara did not see action in a spring training game despite being in big league camp. His promise comes from his high velocity fastball and his slider. However, the tools he possesses have yet to translate to success on the statsheet.

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He struck out 104 over 68 2/3 innings between Double-A Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett last season. However, those were complemented by 65 walks, a 7.73 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP.

Jarvis and Lodise are two up-and-coming options in the system who have seen their share of action later in games in spring training. Jarvis went 1-for-14 with an RBI across nine games. One of his highlights was a diving top to turn to against the Detroit Tigers earlier this week.

Hard contact by Dillon Dingler, but a great play by old friend Jim Jarvis to make the stop and turn two. pic.twitter.com/qZ6473qaDK
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) March 2, 2026

Lodise was the Braves second-round pick in the 2025 draft. He went 1-for-8 with an extra-base hit and an RBI in seven games played. Both players got their chances to get looks from the big league coaches, and now they head to their minor league assignments.

Waddell will likely head back to Triple-A, where he played 91 games last season and 112 games the season before that. In spring training, he went 3-for-9 with a double.

Pope was brought in on a minor league contract over the offseason. He had a solid spring training performance, allowing an earned run on two baserunners with four strikeouts across three innings.

The Braves are playing the Toronto Blue Jays in North Port, Fla. on Wednesday.