The Atlanta Braves bullpen has been an area of pride for a majority of the 2026 season. Some of the success has come from arms that aren't necessarily household names. Lefty reliever Dylan Lee fits that description to a tee. He isn't widely known across baseball, but he has been one of the team's most dependable relief arms this season.
Lee pitched so well during the first half that he could have been an All-Star. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for him. It stinks, but there are a lot of great relievers in the National League to choose from.
That great work by the 6'3 southpaw continued after the All-Star break. However, some cracks began to show during August, and it has turned into a bit of a disaster over his last seven games. Lee has a horrifying 11.57 ERA over that span, with 12 hits allowed, two walks, and four strikeouts.
The Braves need Dylan Lee to be the guy he was in the first half and quickly
Lee's recent struggles, including a rather rough showing against the Giants on Monday, ballooned his August ERA to 4.55, with 23 hits, 14 earned runs, 10 walks, and 32 strikeouts. It's odd to see him struggle like this, as he has excelled in almost every possible analytic this season.
However, Lee is well below average with fastball velocity, ground ball rate, and extension. Another glaring number is his struggles with runners in scoring position. Opponents are batting .310 against Lee with RISP, with a .781 OPS.
The last thing the Braves need is for one of their top relievers to start struggling this close to the end of the season. Raisel Iglesias has started struggling a bit recently as well. Having two of your late-inning options sputtering at the same time wouldn't be ideal.
Luckily, Lee has a pretty great track record for most of the season. It's safe to assume he should be able to make the necessary adjustments to get back on track. Robert Suarez being able to return later this month would also make things a lot easier. That may help take some pressure off the lefty.
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