Braves News: Raisel Iglesias to be placed on injured list with shoulder inflammation

Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias will begin the 2023 season on the Injured List, Justin Toscano of the AJC broke Thursday morning. Iglesias has low-grade shoulder inflammation and will not throw for the next week.

Iglesias acted as a setup man after being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels last summer and was in line to be the closer after the departure of Kenley Jansen this offseason.

What Raisel Iglesias IL stint means for the Braves bullpen

The Braves have one of the deepest bullpens in baseball, with Dan Szymborski stating, "The Gwinnett Stripers might have the 20th-best bullpen in the majors in 2023" in his ZiPS Projections article. If there's a team that can manage their closer beginning the season on the IL, it's the Braves.

With Iglesias on the IL, Braves fans can expect A.J. Minter and Joe Jiménez to get the bulk of the closing opportunities for the first two weeks of the season.

Of course, the 33-year-old will certainly be missed. In 2022, Iglesias pitched 62 innings between Los Angeles and Atlanta, had a matching 2.47 ERA and FIP, and was worth 1.6 fWAR. With just the Braves, however, he was nearly unhittable in 26.1 innings he had a 0.34ERA, a 1.52 FIP, and accumulated 0.9 innings.

After optioning Nick Anderson and outrighting Jackson Stephens, the Braves only have ten relievers left in its big league camp, including the injured Tyler Matzek and now Raisel Iglesias.

This could mean that both Michael Tonkin and Jesse Chavez make the Opening Day roster, or it could mean that the Braves opt to recall Nick Anderson or another reliever that had previously been optioned. The Braves could also choose to start with both Dylan Dodd and Jared Shuster on the roster as well, as both are currently battling for the final rotation spot.

There is no timeline on Iglesias's return aside from his seven-day restriction on throwing, but pitchers must miss 15 days if placed on the IL.