Braves Notes:

"Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos spoke to reporters today, including David O'Brien of The Athletic, covering a variety of topics. The head man in Atlanta offered details on the club's plans at DH, along with some health updates on a couple of pitchers. While Anthopoulos didn't rule out bringing back Marcell Ozuna, he said the team prefers to leave DH open and split the role among multiple players."

"Ozuna lost his stranglehold on the position midway through last season, with the Braves looking to get both Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin in the lineup. The downturn in playing time, along with Ozuna's pending free agency, led to frequent trade rumors in July. He ultimately remained with the team through the trade deadline. He socked five home runs in the first two weeks of August, but hit just one more the rest of the season."

The Braves prefer to keep the designated hitter role open and split DH duties among multiple players rather than commit to a single staple. Marcell Ozuna has been Atlanta's primary DH since 2023 and has made only two appearances in the field over the past three years. Ozuna lost the regular DH role midway through last season as Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin received increased lineup opportunities, and Ozuna faced trade rumors amid reduced playing time and impending free agency. Drake Baldwin projects as a middle-of-the-order fixture, and Sean Murphy is expected to receive most catching work. Grant Holmes has had no setbacks in recovery from a partial UCL tear and will be treated as a healthy pitcher this offseason, putting him on track to return by the start of the 2026 season.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors