Braves Tap Chris Sale as 2026 Opening Day Starter for Home Opener vs. Royals

Atlanta turns to its recent Cy Young winner to anchor a thin rotation after last year’s injuries.

Overview

Atlanta announced on X that Chris Sale will start Opening Day on March 27 at Truist Park against the Kansas City Royals.
This will be Sale’s seventh career Opening Day start and his second with the Braves.
Sale won the 2024 NL Cy Young and followed with a 2025 season featuring a 2.58 ERA and 165 strikeouts over 125 2/3 innings.
He missed a chunk of 2025 with a fractured rib that led to a 60‑day IL stint before returning late in the year.
The Braves signed Sale in February to a one‑year, $27 million extension with a $30 million club option, underscoring their reliance on him as injuries test the rotation’s depth.