The Atlanta Braves' bullpen is in a kind of weird spot at the moment. Raisel Iglesias is obviously hurt, but the middle relievers have been pretty shaky of late, and Atlanta has a bunch of long-relief arms in their bullpen at the moment, which isn't ideal from a creating good matchups perspective. Complicating matters was the absence of Dylan Lee.
With Lee unavailable while on paternity leave, the Braves were forced to lean on Aaron Bummer as their first lefty out of the bullpen unless multiple innings were required. Unfortunately, Bummer has been one of the Braves' worst relievers thus far, so this arrangement has been far from ideal.
Thankfully, it appears to have been a very short-term situation. On Wednesday, the team announced that Lee was reinstated from the paternity list and that Carlos Carrasco was designated for assignment to make room.
The #Braves today reinstated LHP Dylan Lee from the paternity list and designated RHP Carlos Carrasco for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 29, 2026
Braves get Dylan Lee back after a short absence, DFA Carlos Carrasco
This is great news for the Braves' bullpen. While having a baby certainly requires a lot of energy, Lee's arm should be fresh, and he should be available, whereas Bummer likely needs a few games to regroup. As good as Lee has been for the Braves so far this year, having him back is a nice boost in the middle of a potentially tough series.
On the flip side, designating Carrasco for assignment is a very straightforward decision. Cookie was good once, but those days are long gone, and Atlanta doesn't need so many long relievers right now anyway. The odds are also good that Carrasco will clear waivers unclaimed, so there is still a chance the Braves will be able to keep him around.
After a convincing win in the first game of their series against the Tigers, the Braves now have a very fresh bullpen to navigate the rest of the series. With a matchup against the notoriously stingy Tarik Skubal coming up, the Braves will need all the help they can get.