This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Though Kevin Pillar and Jesse Chavez came to Spring Training as non-roster invitees last year, the assumption was both would be on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster.

This year’s list of Braves non-roster invitees doesn’t include any of those assumptions. But a year removed from seeing Dylan Dodd make the Opening Day roster as an NRI, it would seem ignorant to say none of this year’s NRIs will be with the team when it opens the regular season in Philadelphia.

The most likely NRI to join Atlanta’s Opening Day roster is David Fletcher, the veteran middle infielder who was acquired from the Angels in December, when Alex Anthopoulos was flipping the bad contracts that came with the Jarred Kelenic trade.

There wasn’t much reason to be excited about the acquisition of Fletcher, who spent most of last season with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate. The Braves took him because the Angels were willing to take on the $15 million owed to first baseman Evan White.

White has been an injury-plagued disappointment in MLB, and he would have always been behind Matt Olson in Atlanta. With Fletcher, the Braves at least gained a middle infielder who is a better defensive option than Vaughn Grissom in the utility role.

Then, Fletcher was optioned and Luis Guillorme was signed. Suddenly, Fletcher was no longer a lock for Atlanta’s Opening Day roster. Fletcher is capable of handling the middle-infield spots. Guillorme’s range at the middle-infield spots lessened as he gained weight over the past couple of years. Neither player seems to be someone you could confidently use as a backup outfielder.

Guillorme has produced a .675 OPS over the past three seasons, but he posted a .615 OPS in 120 big league plate appearances last year. Fletcher had just a .628 OPS over 97 MLB plate appearances last year, but he is the better defensive option across the infield.

We can joke about the Braves never really using their backup infielders. But there is a definite need to find someone capable of serving as a starting shortstop or second baseman if Orlando Arcia or Ozzie Albies were sidelined for an extended period. It’s not like the corner positions, where you could at least temporarily put Marcell Ozuna at first base.

And we’re back.

I’m not sure Fletcher or Guillorme is the guy you want to fill a long-term void in the middle infield. But these are the Braves’ best options for now.

So, Fletcher has to at least be considered a candidate for the Opening Day roster.

What about an outfielder?

The Braves are set to enter this season with their outfield consisting of two left-handed hitters (Kelenic and Michael Harris II) and one right-handed hitter (Ronald Acuña Jr.). Adding a right-handed hitter who is capable of manning each of the three spots still seems to be a need.

Eli White and Jordan Luplow are a couple of NRIs who have a chance to begin the year on Atlanta’s roster. Both are back in Braves camp for a second straight year. Luplow’s roster bid was thwarted by an injury last year. White was one of Atlanta’s top offensive performers during last year’s Grapefruit League season.

The odds of either White or Luplow gaining a roster spot improved on Friday, when Pillar signed a Minor League deal with the White Sox.

How about the pitchers?

It’s going to be fun to see how some of the Braves’ veterans react to Hurston Waldrep’s splitter during live batting practice sessions. And there’s certainly a chance we’ll see the highly touted prospect (the Braves’ No. 2 prospect and No. 90 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline) in some Grapefruit League games. If nothing else, we’ll likely see him in the Spring Breakout game that will be played against Red Sox prospects on March 16 in Fort Myers, Fla.

Waldrep isn’t going to be on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster. But one year removed from guiding Florida to the College World Series, the first-round Draft selection may earn a chance to pitch in the Majors this year.

Could Ken Giles, a former closer who has totaled eight innings in the Majors since the end of the 2019 season, do the same?

Giles could be this year’s feel-good story. But with the depth in Atlanta’s bullpen, he’s nothing more than a longshot for the Opening Day roster. That doesn’t mean he won’t be back in the Majors at some point this year.