The Braves made a move on Tuesday.
The Atlanta Braves feature quality catching depth when fully healthy. Veteran Sean Murphy is injured and will miss at least the first month of the 2026 season, however. The Braves may have found their backup for Drake Baldwin on Tuesday, bringing in former All-Star Jonah Heim, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Murphy will likely return in May barring any setbacks. As a result, it remains to be seen what Heim's long-term future with Atlanta looks like. If he performs well to begin the year, perhaps the Braves will consider going with three catchers on the roster once Murphy returns.
Baldwin is the reigning NL Rookie of the Year. He is looking to have another strong campaign in 2026. Giving him a reliable backup in Heim should only help matters.
Jonah Heim Joins Braves
Heim, 30, earned both an All-Star selection and Gold Glove in 2023 with the Texas Rangers. He hit .258 to go along with a .755 OPS during the '23 campaign. Heim also recorded a career-best 18 home runs that season.
The past couple of years have been a struggle for him, though, as he recorded a .602 OPS in both seasons. Across 124 games in 2025, Heim slashed .213/.271/.332.
Nevertheless, Heim has spent time at the big league level since 2020. He is a veteran with a proven track record. At the very least, Heim will help the Braves during the first month or two of the season ahead of Murphy's injury return.
As mentioned, there is a chance that he could stay on the roster even longer if he performs well. Having too much catching depth is never a bad thing.
Braves Nearing Spring Training
Overall, Atlanta features a deep roster with spring training set to begin soon. They did receive some unfortunate news on Tuesday, though. Spencer Schwellenbach is expected to begin the new season on the 60-day injured list.
Schwellenbach has pitched well in his first couple of big league seasons. It seemed as if Atlanta was on track to have one of the better rotations in the league this year. The pitcher's injury absence leaves uncertainty in the rotation, however.
Regardless, the Braves will move forward. It will be interesting to see if they decide to bring in another starter given Schwellenbach's injury. It is worth mentioning that Zac Gallen has not been signed in free agency as of this story's writing.