KEVIN MCALPIN
680 THE FAN, ATLANTA – Now that we are just about two weeks into the 2020 regular season, Thursday marked the day that all 30 clubs had to trim their rosters from 30 to 28. Initially, when the Players Association and Owners agreed to all the new rules and regulations for the shortened season, there would be another cut down to 26 in a couple weeks and that’s where the rosters would stay for the rest of the year. But, with a rash of injuries around the game, a few days ago, both sides agreed to leave the number at 28 for the rest of the year. With a short ramp up period in July, this seems like the right decision for everybody involved.

For the Braves, reliever Chad Sobotka and catcher Alex Jackson were the two casualties of Thursday’s roster cuts. In addition, outfielder Scott Schebler was designated for assignment so the team could return reliever Will Smith from the IL. Smith is expected to see action in tonight’s game, regardless of the score as opposed to waiting another day and throwing a simulated action against his teammates.

Looking ahead to Saturday, the club still hasn’t announced who will start that game in Philly, but it appears as though Bryse Wilson and reliever Tyler Matzek could be the top two candidates. Matzek has been one of the biggest surprises for a bullpen that has been nothing short of terrific this season, while Wilson has seen limited Big League starts over the last couple seasons. While Alex Anthopoulos talked about the challenges of making deals this early in the short season, there’s no doubt in my mind he’s talking to fellow GM’s about who could be available. Bottom line, if the Braves want to get to where they want to be, they’ll need to add at least one veteran starter to this very young nucleus.

Kevin McAlpin has covered the Braves since 2012 for @680TheFan and the @BravesRadioNet.