The Atlanta Braves made an impactful minor league signing on this day, April 15, 2021, as the club signed left-handed pitcher Dylan Lee to a minor league deal. The southpaw is finally back with the team in 2024 after coming back from an injury to his throwing shoulder.
This day in Braves history: Atlanta signs Dylan Lee to minor league deal
At the time, Lee was not necessarily the most well-known name compared to what he is now, as the left-hander had yet to make his MLB debut at the time of his signing.
A former 10th-round pick by Miami in 2016, Lee had previously spent every year of his professional career up to that point in the Marlins organization, posting a sub-3.00 ERA as a reliever during both the 2018 and 2019 seasons. However, Lee would not see action in 2020 due to no season at the minor league level and would be released by the Marlins on March 29, 2021, after spring training.
Lee would not go unsigned for long, however, as the Atlanta Braves signed the left-hander shortly after on a minor league deal to keep him in the NL East.
During the 2021 season, Lee would spend the majority of the year with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he had a stellar year holding a 5-1 record with a 1.54 ERA and 54:6 K/BB ratio across 46.2 IP as a reliever. Lee would be remembered most in 2021 for his MLB debut in October in which he had two innings pitched at the end of the regular season and then saw time in the postseason, including starting Game 4 of the World Series.
After the 2021 campaign, Lee went on to have two strong seasons in 2022 and 2023 with the Braves and is still with Atlanta now at the MLB level. For his Braves career, Lee currently holds a combined stat line of a 6-1 record, a 2.73 ERA, an 89:20 K/BB ratio, and a 1.5 WAR across 82.1 IP from 2021-24.
Is this one of the Atlanta Braves' most impactful minor league signings in recent memory?