ATLANTA — The Braves built their Wild Card Series roster around position-player flexibility, calling up Rowdy Tellez and Luke Williams from Triple-A while limiting their pitching staff to 11 arms for the best-of-three round.
Atlanta opens the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, with Game 1 scheduled for NBC and Peacock. Tellez gives the club a left-handed bat off the bench, while Williams adds another glove for the infield in a series where late-game matchups and defensive switches can shape an afternoon quickly.
Robert Suarez made the cut as part of the 11-man pitching group despite spending most of the previous three months sidelined by a right elbow problem. The setup reliever returned for two appearances last week and showed enough to earn a postseason spot. Chris Sale, Raisel Iglesias, Tyler Mahle and Grant Holmes are among the other prominent arms available to Atlanta.
The roster also includes speed in DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and an additional reserve outfielder in Brewer Hicklen. Dominic Smith remained with the club despite receiving only 12 at-bats since Aug. 22. Kyle Farmer, viewed as a possible emergency catching option, was not included.
Braves Wild Card Series roster
The 26-player club will carry Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy behind the plate. The infield group is led by Ozzie Albies, Ha-Seong Kim, Matt Olson and Austin Riley, with Mauricio Dubón, Smith, Tellez and Williams providing bench coverage.
Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II and Mike Yastrzemski headline the outfield, joined by Hicklen and Keirsey.
Atlanta’s 11 pitchers are left-handers Dylan Dodd, Ray Kerr, Dylan Lee, Chris Sale and Brent Suter, along with right-handers Didier Fuentes, Holmes, Iglesias, Mahle, Victor Mederos and Suarez.
