The Atlanta Braves have done the bulk of the work that they are going to do this offseason and we have a pretty good sense of what their Opening Day roster will look like assuming no surprise injuries or setbacks (for a change of pace, just stay healthy). There is going to be a pretty robust competition for the last spot or two in the rotation and bullpen, but the rest of the big narratives involve guys getting back into top form and just not being hurt again.

But what about the lesser storylines that Braves fans aren’t thinking about right now. Sure, the number of people that care about a fringe bullpen arm or non-roster invitee they have never heard of is small, but there are some stories that will be told that spring that could matter more than fans think right now.

Here are some under-the-radar spring training storylines for the Braves heading into 2026

Again, the goal here is to highlight some narratives that still matter a good deal, but aren’t at the forefront of fans’ minds right now. Whether we like it or not in some cases, there is going to be some resolution to these questions right out of camp while spring training will only mark the beginning of others.

This could (and perhaps should) be the end of Bryce Elder’s tenure with the Braves (probably)

Fans are going to hear a lot about how many minor league options a given player has left this spring as justification for why they are going to get a roster spot. There is some merit to that as options allow the Braves to keep players in the organization instead of creating a forced choice to themselves.

However, that doesn’t mean that the number of options a guy has should be the primary factor and that is where Bryce Elder comes in. Yes, he doesn’t have any minor league options and yes he has had some good moments in the past. That said, no one is comfortable on Elder start days now and the hope turns to being “just don’t let the game get too out of hand”. That should not be good enough for a contending team and unless he shows up and shoves, one hopes that this will mark the end of Elder’s time with Atlanta.

This could be Ozzie Albies’ last spring training with the Braves and that is sad

On the other side, we have Ozzie Albies who is also approaching a turning point in his career this coming season. Albies came out of nowhere to become the Braves’ best prospect and then the heart of some really terrific Braves teams that fans are going to remember for decades to come.

But the reality is that we may never see that version of Ozzie again and that is deeply sad. His arm strength was always debatable and his hit tool never reached the lofty status in his MiLB scouting reports. Now, the guy has been battered by injury after injury that has robbed him of much of the explosiveness he once had. Albies does have one club option year left at $7 million which is very cheap, but if he can’t stay on the field or struggles even worse than he has, the Braves may have to move on.

How the Braves handle the ABS challenge system this spring could tell us a lot about Walt Weiss

One of the wrinkles in the 2026 season that fans “know” but perhaps haven’t internalized just yet is that MLB is instituting the ABS challenge system that will allow players to challenge ball and strike calls in a way that feels like a super sped up version of the replay system. There are some more nuances to it, but the biggest thing is that it is the players, not the dugout, that has to ask to challenge a given pitch.

Given that Walt Weiss just got hired, it will be curious exactly how much of a leash he is going to give the Braves in terms of challenging. Will he trust them to make whatever calls they feel like they need to make? Will he lay down the law and say to only challenge if you are absolutely sure in order to preserve challenges for later in the game? Perhaps mix-or-match of both? Time will tell, but the ABS challenge system is going to be around and we could get a sense this spring of who Weiss is going to trust and who is going to have to earn it.