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What to watch for as the Braves begin the 2025 regular season

ANF+ Special: What to watch for ahead of the Atlanta Braves Opening Day The Atlanta Braves begin the 2025 regular season in San Diego Thursday.
By Baillie Burmaster and Ellie Parker

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The Atlanta Braves begin the 2025 regular season in San Diego Thursday. The opening series will set the tone for the rest of the season, but it could have several interesting storylines on its own.

Drake Baldwin makes his MLB debut

Drake Baldwin (AP)

An injury to starting catcher Sean Murphy is giving top prospect Drake Baldwin a chance to make his MLB debut. He slots into the starting catcher spot over veterans Chadwick Tromp and James McCann.

Baldwin is seen as a bat-first catcher. He slashed .298/.407/.484 in 72 games for Triple-A Gwinnett and had 12 hits in 50 spring training plate appearances.

Murphy was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Jurickson Profar returns to San Diego

Profar firma por 42 millones de dólares y 3 campañas con Bravos
FILE - San Diego Padres' Jurickson Profar celebrates after hitting a bunt single during the sixth inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

Jurickson Profar had a career year in San Diego last year, parlaying a one-year, $1 million deal with the Padres into a three-year, $42 million deal in Atlanta. It’s sure to be an emotional moment as Profar returns to San Diego playing for a team he grew up loving as a child.

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Chris Sale starts Opening Day

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale throws in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale throws in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)

Chris Sale has had an interesting career as of late. The 35-year-old pitched just 151 innings between 2020 and 2023, then won the Cy Young last year with the Braves after tossing 177 innings.

It was his first Cy Young award, despite finishing the top six in American League Cy Young Award voting over seven straight seasons from 2012 to 2018.

Sale will make first his Opening Day start since 2019. He previously made Opening Day starts for the Chicago White Sox in 2013, 2014 and 2016 and the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and 2019.

Thursday’s season opener in San Diego will air across multiple Gray Media television stations.

How to watch Braves on Gray

In Atlanta, fans can watch the Braves on Gray by tuning into PeachtreeTV, Atlanta’s CW Network. Fans can also watch games on YouTube TV, over the air on channel 17.1 and on channel 17 on Dish Network and DirecTV and channel 7 on Xfinity and Spectrum.

If you are in another market outside of Atlanta, click here to see how you can catch the action.