When Robert Suarez came out to close the Atlanta Braves game on Saturday, there were questions why Raisel Iglesias wasn't pitching after two days off. The Braves quickly revealed that the 36-year-old had woken up with a sore shoulder after sleeping on it wrong.
It looked like a crisis was averted, and the Braves closer came out the next night to finish the three game sweep. Unfortunately, it looks like things haven't healed the way Atlanta expected, and the Braves announced that Iglesias was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday.
Atlanta called up lefty Dylan Dodd to take his spot on the active roster.
The #Braves today recalled LHP Dylan Dodd to Atlanta and placed RHP Raisel Iglesias on the 15-day injured list, backdated to April 20, with right shoulder inflammation.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 21, 2026
Additionally, the club transferred C Sean Murphy’s and RHP Spencer Strider’s rehabilitation assignments from…
Braves lose Raisel Iglesias to shoulder injury
This will hopefully be a quick stint on the IL for Iglesias, who has been remarkably healthy during his time with the Braves. Since being acquired from the Angels in 2022, Iglesias has only hit the IL once, as he missed the beginning of the 2023 season with a shoulder injury. The righy came back in early May and still managed to appear in 58 games.
Since the trade deadline in 2022, Iglesias has the ninth-most relief appearances, the third-lowest ERA, and the sixth-best fWAR among relievers. After a rough stretch to begin the 2025 season, Iglesias has been the second-best reliever by fWAR since June 9, trailing only Mason Miller, who is currently on a historic run of his own. Iglesias has not allowed a run yet in 2026.
Luckily for Atlanta, the Braves do have the depth to cover Iglesias's innings for the next two weeks. Robert Suárez, who signed with the Braves this offseason on a three-year, $45 million deal, has been just as good as advertised through his first 10 games, as he's allowed just one run. Suárez led the National League in saves last year with the Padres.
Dylan Lee has continued his excellence from the last few seasons, and Tyler Kinley should have no issues moving up on the depth chart. Suárez, Lee, and Kinley all have ERAs under 1.00 to start the year, and have combined for 29.2 innings.
While the Iglesias injury news is unfortunate, he is the first Braves player to hit the injured list since the regular season began. If the initial cause of injury is to be believed, this thankfully shouldn't be a season-altering injury.
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