Braves shockingly cut bait with Craig Kimbrel after Brian Snitker's telling comments

This season has shown a regular display of head-scratching performances from many Atlanta Braves players. However, this morning Alex Anthopoulos gave fans one of the more puzzling transactions we've seen to date.

Less than 24 hours removed from his return, reliever Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment this morning. Kimbrel's return to Atlanta was a decade in the making and, after pitching well in Triple-A Gwinnett, his eventual promotion to Atlanta lasted just one inning.

The Braves recalled left-handed pitcher Austin Cox in his place.

Braves shockingly DFA Kimbrel after just one outing

Kimbrel made his 2025 debut on Friday night when he entered a tie game in the seventh inning. What ensued was a leadoff single, caught stealing, walk, pickoff, and strikeout. Kimbrel's once powerhouse fastball sat at just 91-92 mph in his scoreless inning of work.

It was telling that Brian Snitker openly said Kimbrel "lucked out" after the game. The Giants' baserunning mishaps made the scoreless inning possible, and it was clear that the dropoff in velocity didn't instill confidence in the Braves front office that Kimbrel had great outings on the horizon.

Still, the decision to cut bait with Kimbrel after just one inning of work is worth questioning, especially when you consider the club employs one of the worst relievers in baseball. Time will tell if Kimbrel will try and catch on elsewhere this season, or if he considers calling it a career after finishing in the same organization that drafted him. If that's the case, it sure would've been nice for Kimbrel to have that moment in front of Braves fans at Truist Park.

Austin Cox will serve as bulk inning depth should the Braves need it the remainder of their west coast trip. Cox has pitched in eight games with Gwinnett, and owns a 4.22 ERA in just over 10 innings of work. Who the club finds as the more long-term answer in the bullpen remains to be seen.

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