NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Two weeks ahead of their season opener in San Diego, the Braves have a pretty good feel for how their Opening Day roster might look. But as Jurickson Profar’s recent injury scare and the recent Héctor Neris addition have reminded us that these roster projections can blow up as quickly as NCAA tourney brackets in March.

So, with this latest Opening Day roster projection, let’s see how much things have changed since the first one on Feb. 10. Changes were made in the catching, backup infield and bullpen categories.

Catchers (2): Drake Baldwin, Chadwick Tromp
Sean Murphy is expected to spend the regular season’s first week or two on the injured list with a cracked rib. The Braves are still evaluating, but all signs indicate that Baldwin, the team’s No. 1 prospect and No. 62 in baseball, will serve as Atlanta’s starting catcher while Murphy is sidelined. The other option would be to go with Curt Casali or Sandy León, a pair of well-seasoned veterans who are non-roster invitees. But Baldwin has passed every test so far, including the challenge of catching Chris Sale, who doesn’t shake off catchers.

Baldwin might go back to Triple-A Gwinnett once Murphy returns, but even if he would play just once or twice a week, there’s a good chance he will return to Atlanta’s roster at some point this season and stay for good.

First baseman (1): Matt Olson
Olson has been Atlanta’s starting first baseman for 485 of the 486 games the Braves have played since he was acquired before the 2022 season. Marcus Semien (469), Freddie Freeman (467) and Francisco Lindor (467) are the only other players to make 460-plus defensive starts within that span.

Second baseman (1): Ozzie Albies
If Albies stays healthy, his bat can still compensate for the defensive value he has lost over the past few years, while battling injuries and losing arm strength.

Shortstop (1): Orlando Arcia
This will be Arcia’s third and possibly final season as Atlanta’s starting shortstop. The pressing concern is finding a middle infielder who can handle shortstop or second base if Albies is injured this year.

Third baseman (1): Austin Riley
Riley’s bid for a fourth consecutive 30-homer season and first Gold Glove Award ended when he fractured his right hand in August.

Outfielders (4): Michael Harris II, Jurickson Profar, Jarred Kelenic, Bryan De La Cruz
Once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns within the season’s first two months, he will join Harris and Profar as the everyday outfielders. As Acuña completes his recovery from a torn right ACL, Kelenic will be the primary right fielder, but he could platoon with the right-handed-hitting De La Cruz.

DH (1): Marcell Ozuna
Ozuna is one of nine players in baseball with a 900-plus OPS since the start of 2023.

Bench/utility (2): Nick Allen, Eli White
Allen can play around the infield, and his plus-defense at shortstop will allow Atlanta to rest Orlando Arcia more than it has the past couple of seasons. It didn’t take White long to show he was the best option to serve as a super utility man. Once the former Clemson shortstop was given a chance to play the infield this spring, it was obvious he was a better all-around option than Luke Williams.

Starting pitchers (5): LHP Chris Sale, RHP Reynaldo López, RHP Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP Grant Holmes, RHP Ian Anderson
Holmes and Anderson are both out of options. This gives them an advantage over AJ Smith-Shawver, the 22-year-old prospect (Atlanta No. 3) who has made another strong impression this spring. Once Spencer Strider returns from right elbow surgery near the end of April, Holmes or Anderson could be moved to the bullpen.

Relief pitchers (8): RHP Raisel Iglesias, RHP Pierce Johnson, LHP Dylan Lee, LHP Aaron Bummer, RHP Daysbel Hernández, RHP Buck Farmer, RHP Héctor Neris, RHP Enyel De Los Santos
The Braves could go a lot of ways with their relief corps. Rule 5 Draft selection Anderson Pilar is still in the mix, but it doesn't seem he's done enough to stick. As for Angel Perdomo, the team could extend his return from Tommy John by placing him on the injured list. This would create more time to evaluate veteran non-roster invitees Farmer, Neris and De Los Santos. I originally included Jake Diekman on this list but shifted to De Los Santos because the 'pen already has two lefties in Bummer and Lee.

Hernández has options, so the team could send him to the Minors to further evaluate Diekman and each of the NRI relievers.