The Atlanta Braves' bullpen is a mess. Raisel Iglesias has all but lost his closer spot, the team lost Daysbel Hernandez to injury, and the Braves reversed course on Craig Kimbrel in a hurry. Unlike previous seasons, the bullpen is a very clear source of weakness for the Braves and they need to start finding more arms that can actually help.
Unfortunately, betting on Kimbrel clearly didn't work out and it is going to be hard to add relief help until we get closer to the trade deadline. However, it appears as though the Braves seems to have found at one arm that is acceptable (for now) after claiming Jose Ruiz off waivers from the Phillies.
The #Braves today claimed RHP José Ruiz off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 7, 2025
Braves News: Atlanta claims reliever Jose Ruiz off waivers
The Phillies recently designated Ruiz for assignment to make room for Seth Johnson to be called up. It didn't help his case that Ruiz was recently shelled in an appearance and sports an 8.16 ERA in 16 appearances this season.
That certainly begs the question of why the Braves decided to take a flyer on Ruiz. It seems like they have a number of options in Triple-A that would be capable of more than what he has shown. However, Ruiz put together a pretty decent season last year and his fastball velocity combined with ability to get guys to chase when he is at his best must have been enough to convince Atlanta to give him a shot.
While adding bullpen help at the trade deadline is almost always on the table for Alex Anthopoulos, it is essentially mandatory this year if the Braves want to have any chance of competing. More and more, it is feeling like for the first time in years, the front office won't be able to add enough at the deadline to help this team and selling is very much on the table.