The Atlanta Braves are set to begin the National League Division Series against the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and they’ll aim to keep their opponent from reaching historic dynasty levels by knocking them from the postseason.
The Braves’ lineup has been released for Game 1, which will officially begin on Saturday afternoon. However, there was a noticeable absence.
The Atlanta Braves Announce Left Fielder Lane Thomas Will Not Play In Game 1 Against The Dodgers
The Braves will be without outfielder Lane Thomas, who hasn’t played in nearly a month since suffering a left intercostal strain, for Game 1 against the Dodgers, as confirmed by Atlanta beat writer Mark Bowman.
“Lane Thomas isn’t starting today,” Bowman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
However, that doesn’t mean that he won’t make an appearance in the series.
According to manager Walt Weiss, there’s a chance that Thomas could suit up in Game 2 on Sunday.
“With Lane, it was more about he hasn’t been playing — didn’t want to throw him right into the fire like that,” Weiss said via MLB.com. “He hasn’t played. I wanted to give him a day to run around out there. We’ll face another lefty tomorrow; good chance he’ll be in there tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Thomas explained that he’s feeling better, an encouraging sign as the club begins their postseason series.
“I feel good,” Thomas said on Saturday. “I feel as prepared as I can be in that short time on the IL. Yeah, just glad that they were able to help me get back in time.”
“I kind of just had to check some boxes to make sure I could withhold the workload — did that [Friday],” Thomas continued. “Took some live at-bats, then took a later flight out and got here last night.”
Thomas, whom the Braves acquired from the Kansas City Royals, won’t face pitcher Tarik Skubal, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Detroit Tigers.
“You don’t see a guy who throws so hard consistently with that much control,” Thomas said of Skubal. “It seems like he has really good command of his fastball. He’s got three, I feel like, pretty plus pitches. I don’t know if righties have a ton of success off him either.
“I liked competing against him those last few years [in the AL Central together], and it’s cool to see him.”
Split between the Royals and Braves this season, Thomas hit eight home runs with 40 RBI, along with a .224 batting average.
Lane Thomas Was Acquired From Kansas City
Thomas was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014 and traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 before making his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2019.
After struggling to find a consistent role, he was dealt to the Washington Nations in 2021, taking over their role as starting center fielder. Washington traded him to the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, and he later signed with Kansas City as a free agent ahead of the 2026 season before being dealt to Atlanta.
Braves Announce Status of Lane Thomas For Game 1, But There’s A Catch