Now that the Braves offense is giving the bullpen more leads to protect, it would be nice for Atlanta to find another trustworthy arm for late game situations. Alex Anthopoulos has an addiction of plucking any intriguing arm that comes across the waiver wire. However, this year has yet to yield any bullpen arm worth keeping around.
As a result, Anthopoulos' philosophy on finding bullpen help may need to change. He's already stated how difficult it is to make a trade in June, so an outside acquisition isn't likely to be in the immediate future. Instead let's take a look at a few pitching prospects that could be of help to the Major League bullpen.
Here are a few Braves reliever prospects that could make an impact in 2025
Jacob Kroeger
The 2024 10th round pick isn't among the Braves top 30 prospects, but his stuff does look to have a chance at playing at the Major League level. Kroeger is a 25 year-old lefty who is pitching at High-A for the Rome Emperors. Between two levels in the minor leagues this season, Kroeger owns a 2.09 ERA, 1.009 WHIP, and has 55 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched.
He doesn't necessarily overpower hitters, but he mixes his five pitch repertoire well and generally has solid command. Given his age Kroeger is too advanced to be tested much in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Look for a quick ascension for Kroeger so long as he keeps proving he can throw strikes with all of his pitches.
Jacob Kroeger recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in his High-A debut.@USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/bpFTJmorwl
— Rome Emperors (@GoEmperors) June 17, 2025
Blake Burkhalter
The former Auburn Tiger has spent the entire season in the rotation for Double-A Columbus. While he has pitched out of the rotation exclusively this season at, his arsenal is polished enough that he could probably make an impact in the bullpen right now. However, Burkhalter's not getting as many strikeouts as you'd like to see, so that's probably the reason the Braves are hesitant to promote him.
He's the Braves' 14th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and currently sports a 3.43 ERA on the season. Still this is just his second season removed from elbow surgery, and likely needs to find the strike zone more frequently before he can be trusted. However, if the Braves are looking for upside they'd be hard pressed to find more than Burkhalter.
Hayden Harris
It feels like the time is now for left-handed pitching prospect Hayden Harris. He's pitching out of Triple-A Gwinnett's bullpen at 26 years of age, and the results warrant a promotion. Harris was absolutely dominating at Double-A to begin the year, and in his four appearances for the Stripers he's yet to allow a run.
Harris doesn't have power pitches, but hitters just can't seem to square up his fastball. The likely obstacle in Harris' track to the Majors is the ability to throw strikes more consistently. However, Harris is getting towards the age where the Braves need to find out what he can do in Atlanta before it's too late. On top of that, the current backend bullpen options doesn't have nearly the upside any of these prospects do.