Braves add Johan Camargo, Chris Martin to NLCS roster

The Braves have announced their NLCS roster ahead of this morning’s deadline, and more importantly, tonight’s Game 1 against the Dodgers in Atlanta.

For the most part, there are few surprises, as this is almost the same group that emerged victorious in four games against the Brewers. The only changes are two swaps:

• Chris Martin returns to the roster in place of Dylan Lee, who was a surprise NLDS addition but didn’t make it into a game; and
• Johan Camargo will play a bench role instead of Terrance Gore, who appeared as a pinch-runner in NLDS Game 2, but didn’t do anything of relevance.

Martin was an omission from the NLDS roster after an uneven season that was a substantial dropoff from prior campaigns. He finished 2021 with 0.5 fWAR in 43 ¹⁄₃ innings, a perfectly fine mark to go with perfectly fine ERA and estimators (including xERA) all between 3.40 and 4.00, but saddled the Braves with an immense -0.98 WPA accrued during his pitching appearances this season, and tied a career low with an 18.2 percent strikeout rate.

After four seasons with substantial playing time in Atlanta, the Braves mostly relegated Camargo to the minors this season, as the switch-hitter only garnered 18 PAs across 15 games at the big league level. He went hitless with a couple of walks, giving him his third straight sub-replacement season after a 2018 breakout (3.2 fWAR).

Given how the Braves played the NLDS, it doesn’t seem like either Martin or Camargo will get big roles in the upcoming series, but you never know — games can be close, rosters get used up, and there’s a chance for anyone to be a postseason hero.