Braves postseason hero returns on minor league deal

Just a month after trading one of their most legendary players in franchise history to the San Francisco Giants, the Atlanta Braves have re-signed left-handed pitcher Tyler Matzek to a minor league deal.

Matzek, of course, made a name for himself in the 2021 playoffs where he pitched 13 games, including the iconic NLCS Game 6 where he struck out three straight batters with runners in scoring position to keep the Braves lead.

The lefty had been rehabbing with the Giants AAA team, but the club ultimately decided to move on when they released him on August 30.

What Tyler Matzek's return to the Braves organization means for the team

Tyler Matzek will not be rejoining the big league club, at least not immediately. The Braves decided to sign John Brebbia as their additional pitcher for their September callups. Instead, Matzek will head to Gwinnett to add depth for the Braves bullpen.

The lefty's 2024 has been rough at both the bigs and AAA this year. With the Braves, Matzek has a 9.90 ERA in 10 innings. After being dealt to the Giants, the 33-year-old allowed three earned runs in 4.2 innings in his rehab outings in Sacramento.

Since he signed a minor league deal, he won't be on the Braves 40-man roster, which means if he does come up to the major league level at some point in the next month, the team will need to either designate a player for assignment or place a player on the 60-day IL.

Currently, the Braves have eight pitchers on the 40-man roster who are not on the active roster, although only Jimmy Herget and Daysbel Hernández are full-time relievers and only Dylan Dodd throws left-handed.

Although it's unlikely that Tyler Matzek will play a role for the Braves playoff run this month, he provides lefty depth that the Braves could turn to in an emergency.

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