The MLB season is just one week away! And for the Atlanta Braves, their official Opening Night is pushed back by one day from the rest of the league, as Atlanta will take on the Kansas City Royals exactly one week from now (3/27).
In non-surprising team news, Atlanta will send out Chris Sale to start the first game of the season. As ‘unsurprising’ as it is, Chris Sale has not gotten the nod for an Opening Day start in a Braves uniform. And another note about Chris Sale, he will now have on his illustrious resume as being the Opening Day starter for three MLB organizations.
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Chris Sale Earns Opening Day Nod for Braves
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The official Braves X account broke the news earlier today that Chris Sale has earned the Opening Day nod for Atlanta next Friday.
https://x.com/Braves/status/2035054179924791412?s=20
The Atlanta Braves extended Chris Sale during the early going of Spring Training last month, and the Braves’ rotation is relying on him heavily to be their ace, which Sale has been for the last two seasons while with the Braves.
Sale had a rib injury last season, which kept him out of the rotation for a couple of months, but he still posted stellar numbers over 20 starts. In 2025, he posted a 2.58 ERA over 125.2 innings and struck out 165 batters. Chris Sale won the NL CY Young Award in 2024 for his triple-crown season. Sale led the NL in strikeouts (225), pitcher wins (18), and ERA (2.38) over 29 starts and 177.2 innings.
With the Braves already enduring several injuries to their starting staff before the season has even opened up, starter health is imperative to Atlanta’s success this season.
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Braves’ 2026 Rotation Outlook
Beyond Chris Sale, the Braves’ rotation thins out drastically, but so does most MLB rotations beyond an ace. Atlanta is lucky enough to have Sale as its ace, but with the injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep, players like Grant Holmes, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Strider will fill rotation spots.
The fifth starter option is still a toss-up, but it could be between Bryce Elder or a young arm like Didier Fuentes or JR Ritchie. New manager Walt Weiss could explore other internal options like Martin Perez, but a younger, stronger arm (or Bryce Elder) feels more likely for Atlanta to go with.
As for the Sale news, after a long MLB offseason (especially for the Braves), baseball is finally back, and it’s time for another long 162-game season.
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