Daysbel Hernandez
It wasn't all that long ago that Daysbel Hernandez was arguably the best relief prospect in the Braves' farm system. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency derailed his career until he was finally able to make it to the big leagues with the Braves in 2023 after not giving up a single earned run in 14 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.
Sadly, the good times did not last long. Hernandez's stuff continued to look promising, but Hernandez's four game stint with Atlanta yielded a 7.36 ERA and he ultimately went on the 60 day injured list with inflammation in his right forearm.
Taylor Hearn
The Taylor Hearn Era in Atlanta was a quick one. The Braves acquired Hearn for cash from the Rangers in July as one of their attempts to bolster their bullpen ahead of the trade deadline. Hearn made just a single appearance for the Braves and only managed to get a single out while getting torched.
Undeterred, Alex Anthopoulos got to work and flipped Hearn for Nicky Lopez right at the deadline. Lopez has been a great pick up for Atlanta as he has filled in when needed and is a tremendous defender. Meanwhile, Hearn has made eight appearances with the Royals and has an 8.22 ERA in those appearances.
Dereck Rodriguez
Dereck Rodriguez is pretty much the classic quad-A reliever for the Braves. Not exactly good enough to keep around in a good bullpen, per se, but a really useful guy with experience to have in the organization when the Braves need an arm in a pinch. The Braves claimed Rodriguez off of waivers from the Twins back in May and have called him up to the big leagues three separate times in 2023.
Unfortunately for Rodriguez, he has spent more time driving back and forth to Truist Park than he has on the field as he has made a total of two appearances with the Braves in 2023. He has yet to give up a run in the big leagues this season, but he has really struggled over the last couple of months at Triple-A which has made giving him other opportunities much less likely.
Danny Young
Danny Young was honestly one of the more interesting bullpen arms the Braves brought into spring training as he looked good early as a lefty option. He made just eight appearances with the club, but he posted a 1.08 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings of work while getting shuttled back and forth between Atlanta and Gwinnett.
Unfortunately, Young got bit by the injury bug in Gwinnett and it was becoming clear that the Braves saw Young as being further down the bullpen chart even when he was healthy. He ultimately got released in July to make room on the 40 man for Seth Elledge.