Braves announce World Series roster, Charlie Morton to start Game 1

The Braves announced the 26-man roster they’ll carry into their World Series showdown against the AL Champion Houston Astros. It’s largely the same as the roster they carried for their National League Championship Series against the Dodgers, albeit with a few minor changes. Outfielder Terrance Gore will take over a bench spot at the expense of utility man Johan Camargo, while right-hander Kyle Wright will replace fellow righty Jacob Webb on the pitching staff.

Here’s how the entire roster breaks down…

Right-Handed Pitchers

• Ian Anderson
• Jesse Chavez
• Luke Jackson
• Chris Martin
• Charlie Morton (Game 1 starter)
• Kyle Wright

Left-Handed Pitchers

• Max Fried (Game 2 starter)
• Dylan Lee
• Tyler Matzek
• A.J. Minter
• Will Smith
• Drew Smyly

Catchers

• William Contreras
• Travis d’Arnaud

Infielders

• Ehire Adrianza
• Ozzie Albies
• Orlando Arcia
• Freddie Freeman
• Austin Riley
• Dansby Swanson

Outfielders

• Adam Duvall
• Terrance Gore
• Guillermo Heredia
• Joc Pederson
• Eddie Rosario
• Jorge Soler

Wright joins the postseason roster for the first this year as a replacement for Webb, who struggled mightily in the NLCS. Webb appeared in two games and faced 10 batters, yielding four runs on four hits (including a homer) and a walk. The 26-year-old Wright could give manager Brian Snitker a bit more length in relief, as he worked as a starter in Triple-A this season.

Wright hasn’t pitched since Oct. 2 but did fire seven shutout innings that day — the final outing of a season that saw him notch a 3.02 ERA and 3.33 FIP in 137 frames with Triple-A Gwinnett. Wright was not scored upon in his final three Triple-A appearances this season, rattling off 22 shutout innings with a 19-to-4 K/BB ratio. He tossed just 6 1/3 innings for Atlanta at the big-league level in ’21, but the former No. 5 overall draft pick has tallied 70 innings with the Braves over the past four years.

Gore, one of the game’s fastest pure runners, will be used as a pinch-runner late in games and perhaps as a defensive replacement if needed. With Adrianza and Arcia both giving the Braves some coverage at virtually any infield position, Camargo’s versatility was dropped for Gore’s more specialized skill set.

Meanwhile, the Braves will have slugger Jorge Soler at their disposal for an entire series (barring injury) for the first time this October. Soler tested positive for COVID-19 just prior to Game 4 of the NLDS in Milwaukee and was subsequently off the roster for the first four games of NLCS play.