The Atlanta Braves have been going through it lately with injuries and losing close games. They currently sit 9.5 games out of first place and are three games under .500 this season. It's not the performance they hoped for.
They salvaged one win against the first-place Phillies on Thursday and could have won both games of the doubleheader had the bullpen not collapsed in the late innings. Atlanta's bullpen hasn't been spectacular, but they are still 12th in ERA (3.68) among all MLB relief corps.
It's very middle of the road and that's odd for a team that had one of baseball's best bullpens last season. At this point, Braves fans have probably been wondering when they'll try to improve the bullpen and if Craig Kimbrel is part of those plans.
The Braves' lack of clarity on their plans for Craig Kimbrel could backfire
Kimbrel has been in Atlanta's minor league system for a little while now, and there's been no word on when we can expect him to be called up. It wouldn't hurt to have a veteran presence like Kimbrel in the bullpen.
He has a 1.20 ERA over 15 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Kimbrel has six walks, 18 strikeouts, two saves (in three opportunities), and two holds.
His fastball has been averaging close to 95 mph and has a little over one strikeout per inning with the Gwinnett Stripers. It surely seems like he's ready for a shot at the big leagues again.
The Braves may be skeptical of bringing him up due to how poorly things went for him in 2024. His first half was incredible with 23 saves in 28 opportunities, but it fell apart in the second half. Kimbrel had a respectable 2.80 ERA in the first half but it ballooned to 10.59 across 17 innings in the second half. This led the Orioles to cut him in September.
Regardless of what the Braves may be waiting for, they are risking losing him every day they don't have him on the MLB roster. Ken Rosenthal reported the 37-year-old has a rolling opt-out provision in his contract. This states that if any team offers him a job at the MLB level, Atlanta has to either promote him or release him.
It's unclear if they are holding off to give him some more time to be MLB-ready but he has clearly shown he still has the ability to succeed. With how Atlanta's bullpen has performed this season, why not just promote him and see how he does? If anything, it will give Braves fans another thing to cheer for in a difficult season.