Drake Baldwin Fantasy Stats

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin (oblique) is only dealing with a Grade 1 strain of his right oblique muscle, which creates hope that he might be on the 10-day injured list for just one month, but manager Walt Weiss said it's too early to put a timetable on his return, per MLB.com. Baldwin was put on the IL on May 19, and barring a setback, he could be back with the big-league club around the middle of June. The 25-year-old National League Rookie of the Year in 2025 has yet to resume baseball activities, and until then, we won't have a clearer picture of when he might be back with the Braves. In the meantime, he should be stashed in all fantasy baseball leagues as one of the best-hitting catchers in the game in just his second season. Baldwin was hitting .303/.389/.543 with a .931 OPS, 13 homers, 38 RBI, 39 runs, and a steal in 188 at-bats before his oblique injury. Sandy Leon and Chadwick Tromp will continue to split the catching duties in Atlanta until Baldwin can return at some point next month.

Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss said that catcher Drake Baldwin (oblique) has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 oblique strain, per Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. Baldwin was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday. The 25-year-old had arguably been the best-hitting catcher in baseball before getting injured, hitting .303/.389/.543 with 13 home runs, 38 RBI, 39 runs scored, and one stolen base across his first 216 plate appearances of 2026. While a Grade 1 diagnosis signals a relatively minor strain for Baldwin, it's still unlikely that he will be able to return as soon as he is eligible in late May. Fellow Braves catcher Sean Murphy (finger) is also currently on the IL, leaving veterans Sandy Leon and Chadwick Tromp to handle catching duties in Atlanta for the foreseeable future.

The Atlanta Braves announced on Tuesday that they placed catcher Drake Baldwin (oblique) on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique muscle and selected the contract of catcher Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move. Baldwin suffered the injury in the blowout loss to the division-rival Miami Marlins on Monday, and he's likely to spend more than 10 days on the shelf. With Sean Murphy (finger) also sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Braves will split the catching duties going forward between Tromp and veteran Sandy Leon. Fantasy managers will want to avoid that situation. The 25-year-old Baldwin, last year's National League Rookie of the Year, needs to be held in all fantasy baseball leagues as one of the top catchers in the game in just his second year in the majors. The former third-rounder in 2022 out of Missouri State is currently slashing a healthy .303/.389/.543 with a .931 OPS, 13 home runs, and 38 RBI in 48 games played. Baldwin had 19 homers and 80 RBI as a rookie in 124 games in 2025. UPDATE: Manager Walt Weiss said on Tuesday that Baldwin was sent back to Atlanta to undergo an MRI exam.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin has quickly become one of the best offensive catchers in baseball in just his second season in the big leagues. Baldwin went 1-for-4 at the plate with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-2 win over the hosting Los Angeles Dodgers and is now hitting .297/.383/.509 with an .892 OPS, 10 home runs, 32 RBI, 35 runs scored, and a stolen base in 41 games across 188 plate appearances. The 25-year-old backstop has cooled off since his hot start earlier in the season, but he has still hit .257 (9-for-35) with three long balls, a double, seven RBI, and five runs scored in May. The former third-rounder in 2022 out of Missouri State was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2025, when he hit .274/.341/.469 with an .810 OPS, 19 homers, and 80 RBI in 124 games. Even though Sean Murphy has returned from offseason hip surgery, Baldwin will play regularly in Atlanta and is a bit part of the first-place Braves' offense. His strong start is backed up by the fact that he's in the 90th percentile in hard-hit rate.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin continued his hot start to the 2026 season in his team's 9-4 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday, going 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, and two runs scored. The 25-year-old is now hitting .313/.377/.500 with five home runs, 21 RBI, and 23 runs scored across his first 106 plate appearances of the year. Entering play on Monday, Baldwin's 16.2% barrel rate was nearly higher than his 17% strikeout rate. Atlanta also regularly deploys Baldwin at designated hitter on days where he needs a break from his duties behind the plate, which should lead to him logging significantly more plate appearances than other catchers around the league. Given his spot in the heart of an excellent Braves lineup and his own standout production, Baldwin currently profiles as an elite fantasy catcher.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin will serve as the team's designated hitter and bat out of the two-hole on Opening Day on Friday against the visiting Kansas City Royals and left-hander Cole Ragans at Truist Park, per MLB.com. At least until catcher Sean Murphy (hip) returns, the Braves plan to use Baldwin at DH and Jonah Heim behind the plate against left-handed pitchers. The 24-year-old Baldwin was named National League Rookie of the Year in 2025 after slashing .274/.341/.469 with an .810 OPS, 19 home runs, 80 RBI, and 56 runs scored in 446 plate appearances and 124 games. Baldwin had an impressive .299/.358/.460 slash line with an .818 OPS against left-handed pitchers last year, although only four of his 19 home runs came against them. There is plenty of counting-stat upside with Baldwin, who should be in the lineup regularly, even when Murphy returns. After what he showed last year, Baldwin should be considered a top-10 fantasy backstop.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin looked quite comfortable in his debut campaign in the major leagues as he took home NL Rookie of the Year honors. In his first season in Atlanta, Baldwin would hold a strong .274/.341/.469 line with an .810 OPS. Baldwin would tally 18 doubles and 19 home runs, while scoring 56 runs with 80 RBI. He would not steal any bases but showed a solid eye at the plate, carrying a 68:38 K:BB. Under the hood, the young backstop generated a .353 xwOBA, .272 xBA, and .480 xSLG, which placed him in the 81st percentile or higher among qualified batters. He was also an elite defender, sitting in the 91st percentile in Blocks Above Average. With Sean Murphy (hip) still facing an unknown timeline, Baldwin is penciled in as the team's primary coach heading into 2026. Baldwin holds top-12 upside at the position, entering spring training.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin was named the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year on Monday night. Baldwin, a third-rounder in the 2022 draft out of Missouri State, was thrust into action early in the 2025 campaign when Sean Murphy started the season on the injured list with a broken rib. Baldwin, who was the club's top prospect, took advantage to earn NL ROY hardware. He got off to a slow start at the plate but eventually figured it out and finished with a .274/.341/.469 slash line with 19 home runs to lead all NL rookies with a 3.1 fWAR. Baldwin becomes the 10th player in franchise history to win the award. His 75.3 mph average bat speed ranked him among the top 9% of qualified hitters this year, and he also finished in the 80th percentile or better in whiff rate (19.5%), expected slugging percentage (.474), expected weighted on-base average (.354), strikeout rate (15.2%), hard-hit rate (49.6%), expected batting average (.276), and average exit velocity (91.7 mph).

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Thursday's 8-6 win over the Marlins. These were his first two home runs since July 9th, but he has still been effective over the past month overall. He is slashing .287/.356/.484 with 13 home runs, 46 RBI, and 29 runs in 281 plate appearances on the season. He does sit against lefties oftentimes, but Atlanta has shown they are willing to start both Baldwin and fellow backstop Sean Murphy against righties, with Marcell Ozuna becoming a part-time player as a side effect. The 24-year-old is the future at catcher for the Braves and is hitting well enough to be considered a top-12 fantasy catcher, despite the platoon.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin is headed to the bench ahead of Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Baldwin is absent after starting in three of the last four games. During that span, Baldwin has gone 1-for-10 at the plate, so he could use a day off to reset. In his absence, Sean Murphy will do the catching and bat sixth versus left-hander Jesus Luzardo on Saturday. Baldwin doesn't see enough playing time to warrant rostering in anything more than deep leagues.