While there are real inconsistencies throughout the Atlanta Braves' roster at the moment, their bullpen is becoming increasingly important to manage. With all of the uncertainty surrounding the Braves' rotation combined with Robert Suarez's injury, getting Atlanta's bullpen in a good spot before the stretch run is becoming a serious concern. One of those concerns was the play of Danny Young.
Before Young returned from Tommy John surgery earlier this year, the Braves had a deficit of lefties in their bullpen. Dylan Lee is great, but he is a high-leverage guy that is used regardless of who is at the plate, and Dylan Dodd's splits against righties have actually been better than against lefties. The hope was that Young's return would give Atlanta a true bullpen weapon to bring in to neutralize opposing southpaw hitters.
Unfortunately, that did not come to pass, and after a series of uninspired play on the mound, the Braves just opted to DFA Young and call up long-injured LHP Ray Kerr.
The #Braves today selected LHP Ray Kerr to the major league roster and designated LHP Danny Young for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 16, 2026
Braves designate Danny Young for assignment, call up Ray Kerr after long injury absence
Atlanta gave Young every opportunity to solidify his spot in the bullpen. However, Young's inability to get hitters to chase, combined with some ugly batted-ball metrics, led to the lefty posting a dismal 8.03 ERA across 16 appearances, including giving up at least one earned run in each of his last four appearances.
The Braves actually traded for Kerr way back in December 2023. While he showed flashes, Kerr only made 10 appearances in the big leagues for Atlanta before needing Tommy John surgery in June 2024. After recovering, Kerr has gotten going again (albeit with uneven results) and allowed the Braves to try something different instead of just hoping Young will remember how to pitch again.
Kerr is still rusty after being on the shelf for so long, but he does get strikeouts and miss bats, which is what the Braves need more of in their bullpen right now, especially from the left side. There is no guarantee whatsoever that Kerr will solve the Braves' problem immediately, but giving him a shot is certainly better than standing pat and thinking the results will get better, which is basically their only other alternative.
Add us as a preferred source on Google