The Atlanta Braves are starting to narrow down the field of candidates for a roster spot as we near Opening Day.

The team announced eight different roster moves, reassigning or optioning players down to the minors today.

Being optioned down to AAA Gwinnett were RHP Ian Anderson, LHP Dylan Dodd, RHP Darius Vines, RHP Allan Winans, and RHP Daysbel Hernández.

Following that move, the team reassigned non-roster invitees RHP Ben Bowden, RHP Tommy Doyle, and C Tyler Tolve to minor league camp.

The combinations of moves have left the team with 50 players in camp, all contending for only 26 spots on Opening Day.

Of the pitchers optioned to the minors, there weren’t a lot of surprises. Ian Anderson is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected back into competitive action until some time after the All-Star Break, while Dodd, Vines, and Winans were all expected to spend the season in AAA Gwinnett until needed for spot starts or bullpen duty at the major league level.

The reassignment of Hernández was a bit of a surprise, only because he was expected to have an outside spot at a bullpen role. Debuting last year, he made the NLDS roster thanks to his velocity, with a fastball that reaches the upper 90s. However, the emergence of former closer Ken Giles, on a minor league deal with Atlanta, made Hernández redundant to open the season.

And so, we continue to watch the action in camp. There are still outstanding position battles that didn’t see any clarity after these moves, with multiple candidates still in camp for outfield roles (Eli White, Jordan Luplow) and the #5 starter role (AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder).

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The Braves receive a positive injury update on the knee injury for Ronald Acuna Jr.

It was an anxious weekend for many in Braves Country.

After experiencing soreness in his right knee, the same knee he had ACL surgery on a few years ago, initial tests suggested meniscus irritation for Ronald Acuña Jr. on Friday. As a result, he was in Los Angeles on Monday for further evaluation with the same doctor that performed his ACL surgery.

Fortunately, the prognosis seems to be as good as can be expected for Acuña:

Acuña Jr. seems to only have experienced a minor injury and avoided any type of significant concern. While he may not see much action for the rest of Spring Training, the big key is that he is expected be ready to go once the games start to count. This is essentially the best case scenario outcome in this situation for both the Braves and the reigning NL MVP, and Acuña Jr. projects as a player who should not need a bevy of plate appearances to get up to speed.

Overall, the Braves have a had a good start to Spring Training when it comes to the health of their best players. With Acuña Jr. looking good for Opening Day, hopefully that trend will continue for the rest of the roster.