The Atlanta Braves have been dealing with a revolving door of pitchers this season so far. Whether from injury or underperformance, it's been tough for them to find any sort of consistency. Spencer Strider returned for one start and landed back on the IL with a hamstring injury.
This caused Atlanta to have to pivot quickly to cover his spot in the rotation. Nathan Wiles was called up on Tuesday, and he replaced Michael Petersen on the roster. The Braves are expected to go with a bullpen game in their second game with the Cardinals. Recently acquired pitcher Scott Blewett will start the game. It's likely Wiles will follow him.
However, there was some good news as former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel was transferred from Double-A Columbus to Triple-A Gwinnett. This is the first time Kimbrel has pitched at the Triple-A level since 2010.
Craig Kimbrel inched closer to his return to the Braves bullpen with promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett
Kimbrel hopes to work his way back to the MLB level soon, should he continue his success in the minors. He is a shell of his former self, but still had decent strikeout and whiff rates in 2024 with the Orioles.
He's off to a good start as he pitched 3.1 scoreless innings with the Columbus Clingstones. Kimbrel had one walk and six strikeouts during that time as well.
Kimbrel was impressive during his Braves tenure, with a 1.43 ERA, 186 saves, and 476 strikeouts in 289 innings pitched.
Triple-A will give him a bit more of a challenge, and it will be good to see how he responds. His fastball velocity isn't what it used to be, and he tops out around 94-95 mph. The Braves clearly feel like they can help get the nine-time All-Star back to performing at a high level.
Despite recent struggles, Kimbrel wasn't terrible after leaving Atlanta. He has a 3.23 ERA over 520.2 IP with 231 walks and 789 strikeouts. He accumulated a 10.3 WAR over that time as well with the Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, and Orioles.