After a pair of horrid stretches this season, it feels like the Atlanta Braves are finally finding themselves again. There are still players that are struggling, but the insane return of Ronald Acuna Jr. has given the Braves' offense the spark they have sorely lacked this season. However, the only reason Atlanta has hung around at all is is because of their rotation and it looks like they are getting some reinforcements very soon.
Earlier on Thursday, rumors began to swirl that Didier Fuentes was getting called up to the big leagues. There was a certain amount of skepticism around the rumor due to the lack of reputable sourcing early on and the fact that he is 20 years old and just got promoted to Triple-A.
However, the rumors do appear to be true and the Braves are indeed promoting Fuentes to the big leagues.
Didier Fuentes will join the Braves tomorrow to start against the Marlins. Fuentes is a 20-year-old prospect who has 48 strikeouts and 12 walks over 39.1 IP at three different levels this year. His addition allows the Braves to give everyone an extra day of rest the next turn
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 19, 2025
Braves promoting Didier Fuentes to the big leagues is final step of his rapid ascent
Fuentes has long been fascinating for prospect evaluators thanks to his fastball that doesn't necessarily light up radar guns, but comes from a particularly low release point and a difficult angle for opposing hitters to pick up. He also possesses a slider and splitter that are more inconsistent especially when it comes to command, but have flashed plus.
Fuentes got a very early start to his career in full season ball as he debuted with Augusta as an 18 year old. It took him a season to get his feet under him, but he shoved in 2024 in the low minors and has catapulted through the minor league ranks this season.
The decision making here from the Braves' end is pretty bizarre given how strong the rotation has been. However, that fifth spot in the rotation has been problematic since AJ Smith-Shawver got hurt. Moreover, calling up Fuentes now allows the Braves to let him make his debut against an anemic offense in the Marlins and give Chris Sale extra rest coming off a near complete game.
This is certainly an exciting development as Fuentes does have the stuff to be a rotation mainstay for years despite not getting a lot of love in prospect rankings until recently. One just hopes that Atlanta didn't rush him through the minors too much.