Braves promote Walt Weiss to manager for 2026 on a three-year deal

The Atlanta Braves have promoted longtime bench coach Walt Weiss to manager, the club announced Monday, handing him a three-year contract with a fourth-year option as he prepares to lead the team beginning with the 2026 season. Weiss, who has served as Brian Snitker’s bench coach since 2018, takes over after Snitker stepped down following a 76-86 season that left the Braves fourth in the National League East.

Weiss, 61, made his first public remarks as manager on Tuesday, calling patience the chief lesson he learned from Snitker. "That's an easy one for me, but I think the top of the list is patience," he said, later adding that their "personalities complement each other very well." The club said Weiss will change his uniform number from 4 to 22, the number he wore as a player.

The move continues a pattern of internal promotion and continuity for Atlanta’s front office, which emphasized familiarity with the roster and clubhouse culture in selecting Weiss. Several current players and former Braves figures attended Weiss’s introductory news conference, and reliever Pierce Johnson publicly endorsed the hire, saying on MLB Network Radio, "He's ready to win. He brings a different...