On January 29, the Braves announced their list of non-roster invitees who will head to 2025 Spring Training. Several former Major Leaguers are on the list, including ones Braves fans should be familiar during their days in Miami. Former Marlins Garrett Cooper and Charles Leblanc are among the players, as well as pitchers Chasen Shreve and Enyel De Los Santos.
The Braves’ list of non-roster invitees differs significantly from the ones we’ve seen from other teams. The vast majority of the invites went to players with previous MLB experience, although there are some prospects to be found.
Catcher Drake Baldwin is arguably the most notable prospect headed to big league camp, aside from the ones already on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. Baldwin, a former third-round pick in 2022, hit .276/.370/.423 (.793 OPS) with 16 home runs and 36 extra-base hits last year.
The 23-year-old made it to Triple-A last season and could factor in the Braves’ catching situation at some point in 2025. As of now, Atlanta has two catchers — Sean Murphy & Chadwick Tromp — on their 40-man roster.
Atlanta will also invite SS Luke Waddell and catcher Adam Zebrowski to camp.
As for ex-Major Leaguers, the Braves invited hitters Sandy Leon, Garrett Cooper, Jose Devers, Charles Leblanc, Conner Capel, Curt Casali, and Eddy Alvarez.
The most notable name among the group is Cooper, the oft-injured first baseman who played 36 games last season between Boston and Chicago (NL). The former All-Star has power and could be a DH option for the Braves, if he can look like the old Cooper.
Casali, meanwhile, is a name to watch given the Braves’ depth behind the plate.
Additionally, the Braves are inviting pitchers Jordan Weems, Enoli Paredes, Wander Suero, Enyel De Los Santos, Chasen Shreve, as well as Minor League Royber Salinas,
Shreve heads back to the Braves, the team the lefty started his MLB career with. The 34-year-old could make it on the Opening Day roster. The Braves lost A.J. Minter to free agency and have two reliable lefties on their roster, in Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee.
De Los Santos, meanwhile, will look for better after a rough 2024. The Padres acquired De Los Santos for Scott Barlow last offseason but the move didn’t work out. The right-hander gave up too much hard contact, as he conceded 11 home runs over 40.1 IP before San Diego cut bait with him.
The 29-year-old has a good fastball that sits in the mid-90s and plays up with his arm slot, plus a slider and changeup.
The Braves join the likes of the Rangers and Red Sox, teams that announced their Spring Training non-roster invite list this past week.