The Braves have signed veterans Dominic Smith and Kyle Farmer to split contracts for the 2026, likely signaling they will be on the opening day roster to begin the season. The club announced the moves on Saturday morning as they made final preparations for the upcoming season, which kicks off on Friday.
As Mark Bowman of MLB.com notes, the Braves do have flexibility to send either player to the minors if they add another player before Wednesday.
Smith, 30, will likely become the Braves’ primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching. While limited in the field and on the bases, Smith hit righties well last season with a .296/.343/.436 line and 119 wRC+ over 198 plate appearances. He’s been worse than that throughout the course of his career with a 100 wRC+. It is hardly ideal, but that’s what you get when Jurickson Profar gets popped for PEDs for the second time in 11 months.
Farmer, 35, is a journeyman who was once a capable infielder with the Reds and Twins but has fallen off in recent years. Farmer was in a battle with Brett Wisley for a bench spot, who he seemingly beat out for the job.
Pitching battles
Finally, it was reported veteran lefty Martin Perez is expected to stick around with the club but will not be on the Opening Day roster. The decision signals electric rookie Didier Fuentes could break camp with the team.
Fuentes has been electric this spring, lighting up radar guns across a handful of nearly perfect outings. There was a thought he could begin the season in the minor leagues to make way for Perez and Jose Suarez as innings eater, but it seems Fuentes may have forced himself onto the roster with a big spring. We will see what the next few days hold.
