Anthopoulogy: Is Jorge Mateo’s Roster Spot Still Safe?

Atlanta signed him for speed and defense, but other internal options could make the roster decision more complicated.

(Anthopoulogy is Braves Today’s running series where we step into the shoes of President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos and focus on roster construction questions — evaluating trade targets, internal options, lineup usage, and the cost-benefit math behind potential moves. These are shorter, focused breakdowns built around one question at a time.)

As of the end of December, this looked like the deepest bench Alex Anthopoulos had assembled in Atlanta.

OF Mike Yastrzemski would play against right-handers, combining with two-time utility Gold Glove winner Mauricio Dubón (who is good against left-handed pitching) and speedy outfielder Eli White to give Atlanta an abundance of defensively sound and situationally solid hitters. Catcher Jonah Heim, a former Gold Glove winner and World Series champion, was available behind the plate to back up reigning Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin.

And then the bottom fell out. Jurickson Profar was suspended, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim required surgery for the middle finger on his throwing hand, and suddenly, the Yastrzemski/White duo, along with Dubón, were everyday starters. Atlanta moved quickly to find a new backup shortstop, though, bringing in former Orioles infielder Jorge Mateo on a $1M deal to provide speed and defense behind Dubón at shortstop.

Will he? The answer still leans toward yes, but the margin is shrinking. Because the real question may not be about Mateo himself, but who the Braves trust with their final bench spot and what they want from it. Let’s talk about it.

He hasn’t exactly performed this spring

At the start of camp, it seemed like a virtual certainty Mateo would have a job on Opening Day because of his defense and speed. Considered one of the fastest players in baseball at 29.9 ft/sec in 2024 and still an elite 29.3 ft/sec in 2025 as he battled through a hamstring issue. He’s stolen 106 bases in his career and, when he was a full-time shortstop in 2022, posted +11 in Fielding Run Value.

But this spring, he’s shown why the Orioles were willing to let him walk in free agency: He holds a career .221/.266/.363 line in 487 plate appearances and is hitting just .200 this spring (6-30) with seven strikeouts. That performance is despite a Baseball Reference-calculated “Opponent Quality” of just 7.2, indicating the pitchers he has faced have been closer to Double-A caliber than Triple-A or major league arms.

Internal options to backup shortstop

The Braves brought in several back-of-the-bench candidates this winter, and more than one of them can also play shortstop.

Brett Wisely, who the Braves grabbed off waivers late last year and played at second base after Ozzie Albies went down, has made multiple starts at shortstop this spring and posted +4 OAA at shortstop in just 266 innings for the Giants in 2024.

Kyle Farmer, an Atlanta native on the backside of his career, started off in professional baseball as a catcher (2869.2 innings, including 90.2 in the majors) before eventually moving around the infield. He’s got over 2400 innings at shortstop, as well as time at second, third, and first. When you combine that with his three-year wRC+ of 109 against left-handed pitching (although just a 101 last year in a small sample size of 123 plate appearances), there are a lot of reasons to believe that they could be comfortable carrying him as the primary backup at four positions and the emergency depth at catcher.

Will he make the roster?

When discussing the final spots on the roster, the goal is usually to identify a specific role or two for that player. Last year, Luke Williams was able to capably step into any spot on the field at a moment’s notice (and even ended up being a pretty decent reliever, to boot).

While Mateo does have some time in the outfield, with 30 starts in the outfield (21 of those in center), he’s not going to be the team’s first option to cover the position in case of some sort of injury or other unavailability of everyday starter Michael Harris II.

If the coaching staff wants a veteran pinch-hit option, they’re likely to turn to either Heim or designated hitter Dom Smith off the bench before going to Mateo.

However, if Eli White continues to build a case for everyday playing time early in the schedule, Mateo’s speed would make him the primary pinch-running option whenever White starts. Additionally, if the team wanted to pinch-hit for Yastrzemski late in games because he was slated to face a lefty reliever, the two-time utility Gold Glove winner Dubón could be kicked out to left field and Mateo could enter the game to cover shortstop for the final few innings.

The verdict

While I’m still leaning towards yes, there’s absolutely a possibility that Mateo is designated for assignment before Opening Day. The money isn’t a hindrance either, with Mateo set to make only $1M this season. There are other players that can fill the same defensive role as Mateo, and he’s not performing offensively to demand a roster spot over any of them. Even non-roster invitee Ben Gamel, who would become the fifth outfielder on the roster, has the better offensive case with his four spring training homers and his lack of career platoon splits.

Right now, Mateo still feels like the favorite for the role, but the margin is shrinking.

Pinch-running and the single season of defensive dominance from 2022 are the only real arguments for Mateo. Is that enough for the Braves to pass up on a better bat?

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That’s the question in front of the Braves.
If the right move is there, they’ll make it. If not, they’ll trust the depth. Either way, we’ll be tracking it.