Braves Send Out Two Lineups for Split Squad Matchups With Strider and Dodd On the Mound

However, rather than a usual doubleheader, spring training will include split squad action.
Atlanta will host the Minnesota Twins at North Port and send a lineup to Port Charlotte to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Here’s how the Braes will lineup for both games:

This game debuts the home broadcasts on MLB.com, with Ben Ingram and Joe Simpson’s radio calls overlayed over a television feed available to MLB.tv members. The first pitch is slated for 1:05 PM ET.

This game begins at 1:05 PM ET, but as is customary for the away half of a split team battle, there is no coverage from the Atlanta Braves side. The Tampa Bay Rays’ radio broadcast will be available on MLB.com.
(The away image features the 680 The Fan branding, but MLB.com certifies that there is no Braves coverage and no television coverage at all, with only Rays radio.)

There are some intriguing movements here that could influence Atlanta’s bench duties in 2024. Velazquez is getting the most of the starts at shortstop this spring, as he has in the past, with David Fletcher at second. We’ve speculated on this before, but trading Fletcher to get out of his $14 million in salary commitments for 2024 and 2025 (plus the buyout of his 2026 option) is probably on the front office’s mind, so seeing if Luis Guillorme (who started at SS yesterday) and Velazquez can both handle shortstop duties if needed can help answer the question of how aggressively do the Braves try to shop Fletcher as injuries start to set into middle infields across the league.

Furthermore, Marcell Ozuna continues to be used as a first-base backup, giving the major leagues more bench flexibility.