The Choices Behind the Braves' Postseason Roster, and Why JR Ritchie Waits

Building a postseason roster is about trade-offs. You get 26 spots, and every one of them has to earn its way onto the list for a short series where some players might not get in a game at all. The group the Braves are taking into their series against the Phillies tells you a lot about how the front office and Walt Weiss want to win.

The breakdown is eight relievers, three starters, two catchers, five infielders, five outfielders, two utility men and a designated hitter. Every piece of that has a reason behind it.

Three Starters Is Enough

In a series that's at most three games, you don't need a full rotation. Chris Sale starts Game 1 and Tyler Mahle starts Game 2. Grant Holmes is there for Game 3 if the series gets that far, though the Braves could just as easily use an opener with Ray Kerr or Brent Suter.

Carrying only three starters keeps the staff at 11 pitchers and frees up room for an extra bat, and in a short series that's the right call. Starters don't go deep in October anymore. The team that gets the best work from its bullpen usually advances.

Why JR Ritchie Misses This One

This is the decision that'll get the most attention. JR Ritchie started on Sunday, and he needs rest. With the series starting Tuesday, there's no realistic way for him to be ready to start, and using him out of the bullpen that soon after a start doesn't make much sense either.

So he's off this roster. That's not a knock on him. It's just the calendar. A pitcher who threw on Sunday isn't going to help much in a series that could be over by Wednesday, and holding a spot for him means taking one away from somebody who can actually pitch this week.

The good news is that this might not be the last we see of him this fall. If the Braves advance, Ritchie could be an option in a later round once he's rested. A longer series with more games means more need for starting pitching, and he'd fit that need a lot better than he fits this one.

Eight Relievers

This is where the Braves put their chips. Didier Fuentes, Brent Suter, Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Ray Kerr, Victor Mederos, Dylan Dodd and Dylan Lee make up the bullpen.

The return of Suarez makes it possible to go with eight and still feel confident. Iglesias, Fuentes, Suarez and Lee are the core, and Mederos and Dodd have turned into dependable options. AJ Smith-Shawver didn't make the cut, so Kerr and Suter are the ones who'd cover bulk innings if a game gets lopsided, on top of the opener possibility.

Eight relievers is still plenty for a series this short. Weiss can play matchups aggressively in every game without worrying about running out of arms, and that's the whole point.

Two Catchers, No Third

Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy are both on the roster, and both will play. Against a lefty, Baldwin likely moves to DH while Murphy catches. Kyle Farmer, who could have been the emergency third catcher, didn't make the roster. That means if Weiss pinch-hits for whoever's catching, the other one has to go behind the plate, and when Baldwin is the DH that costs the Braves the DH spot. Expect that move only late.

Dubón's Spot Might Be the Most Important

Mauricio Dubón's versatility shapes the whole position-player group. He's likely the shortstop against right-handers, which gets Mike Yastrzemski into left field. Against lefties, he can play the outfield while Ha-Seong Kim plays short. He also makes it easier to take Kim out late in games.

Without Dubón, the Braves would need another infielder and another outfielder to cover the same situations. His flexibility, with Luke Williams as a second utility man who can play the infield or outfield, is what lets the Braves carry an extra bat.

A Bench Built for Late Innings

The rest of the bench is built around specific late-game jobs. Dominic Smith is there as a left-handed bat with some pop. His playing time has shrunk and his defense makes it hard to picture him staying in the game long, but one big swing off the bench can swing a series. Rowdy Tellez gives Weiss a second left-handed power bat for the same job.

Brewer Hicklen and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. are defensive replacements and pinch runners, the same job they did in the Braves' 11-inning, 6-5 win over the Phillies on Sept. 11. Kim, when he's not starting, is the obvious late-game replacement for his glove alone.

What Could Change in the Next Round

If the Braves get past the Phillies, the roster can be reset, and it would likely look a little different. A longer series means more games and fewer off days to lean on, which puts more weight on starting pitching. That's where Ritchie comes back into the picture. Adding a fourth starter would probably mean taking a spot from somewhere else on the pitching staff.

How the bullpen holds up this week will factor in too. If one of the middle relievers gets a lot of work, or if the opener plan gets used in Game 3, that could change who the Braves want available going forward. Same with the bench. If Smith's bat or the late-game speed of Hicklen and Keirsey turns out to matter, they'd have a strong case to stay.

For now, the focus is on the next two or three games. This roster is built to win a short series by covering late innings better than the other guys, with two good starters handing the ball to a deep bullpen. We'll find out soon if it works, and hopefully we'll be arguing about the next roster by the end of the week.