The smell of baseball is in the air, with Spring Training games set to begin soon. That means that rosters, such as the Atlanta Braves, will start taking shape slowly but surely over the next month as the 2024 MLB Opening Day approaches. During that month, we all know anything can happen, including setbacks and injuries, allowing top prospects to be named to those coveted Opening Day rosters. Who could be that prospect for the Braves this year?

For the Braves entering 2024, they have to feel good about their team. They come in as one of the World Series favorites yet again, with a roster full of talent. That means that there aren't a lot of question marks when it comes to the lineup and rotation. This team is pretty solid, through and through. No doubt the bench could use a few pieces, but that's a different story.

Again, unless there's some unfortunate injury, don't expect the Braves lineup to look that much different out of former Seattle Mariner Jarred Kelenic, who was traded for during the offseason to bolster the lineup even more. If Atlanta were to use any of their top prospects on 2024 Opening Day, look for it to be what they did last season by giving a pitcher the nod.

Last season, when Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson weren't ready to go for Opening Day, the Braves named Dylan Dodd and Jared Shuster to the rotation. Only Dodd was a 2023 top-30 prospect at the time for Atlanta, ranked 18th, yet both made the roster.

This year it could yet again be another pitcher, of which the Braves are usually never shorthanded. In the Braves' top-30 prospect rankings, 17 were pitchers, and eight were in the top-10. Ranked as the No. 2 Braves prospect and No. 43 overall, according to Baseball America, was Hurston Waldrep, a right-hander out of the University of Florida.

Braves may add Hurston Waldrep to the 2024 Opening Day roster

minor leaguer Hurston Waldrep with Braves logo

The Braves made little noise in the offseason, especially in hopes of bolstering their rotation, which will have strikeout leader Spencer Strider, Max Fried, in what looks to be his final season with the Braves, a 40-year-old Charlie Morton, and an injury-prone and traded-for former Boston Red Sox Chris Sale. That still leaves an open spot in the five-man rotation.

Last year, that spot went to Bryce Elder, who found himself in the All-Star game. But after the break, Elder came down to size a bit, posting a 5.11 ERA compared to his first-half 2.97 ERA. But Atlanta does have some options in this area if deciding Elder isn't ready.

They could go with offseason pickup Reynaldo Lopez, the 30-year-old right-hander who could find himself in either the pen or the starting rotation. There's also AJ Smith-Shawver, who was the No. 1 ranked prospect for the Braves. Smith-Shawver did get some call-up time last season, starting in five games while playing in six. He threw 25.1 innings, gave up 17 hits, 14 runs (12 earned), seven homers, 11 walks, and struck out 20, accounting for an ERA of 4.26 to go 1-0.

They could also go with 2023's No. 9 prospect, Darius Vines, another righty who played in five games, started two, going 1-0 with a 3.98 ERA, pitching 20.1 innings, where he struck out 14, walked seven, and gave up 15 hits and 10 runs (nine earned).

Or it may just be time to see what the rookie Hurston Waldrep has.

The former Gators starter is a power pitcher who hits the upper-90s on his fastball, complementing that with a nasty changeup, which ultimately helped Florida reach the College World Series final. The 21-year-old also has a slider and curveball, and is said to have one of the best splitters in the entire Braves organization at the moment, per The House that Hank Built.

Waldrep quickly made his way through the minors last season, rising up all the way to Triple-A with the Gwinnett Stripers. In his eight appearances in the minor leagues last season, he went 0-1, while posting a 1.53 ERA.

Three of the Braves' starting rotation pitchers have been known to struggle with injuries throughout the season. So, with that said, it wouldn't be surprising to see Waldrep in the mix should one of them not be available for Opening Day.