While the Atlanta Braves rotation's surprisingly strong performance has been receiving a lot of attention, the fact remains that their bullpen may be the team's real MVP this season. Through all of the ups and downs the offense and starting pitching experienced this season, the relief corps handled business so often that it was genuinely jarring when they had a rare off night. Robert Suarez was a big part of that effort earlier this season before he got hurt, and now it sounds like we could see him back on the mound soon.
Suarez hasn't pitched in the majors since June 19 due to soreness in his throwing elbow. Given Suarez's profile as a power pitcher, there was legitimate concern that his elbow injury wouldn't heal in time for the playoffs, and surgery seemed like a real possibility if his rehab went sideways. However, after a couple of months, updates indicated that he was making slow progress in his recovery, and that a return at the end of the regular season was very possible.
Well, the last week of the regular season has arrived, and it sounds like the Braves need to make a tough choice. Suarez finally made his first real rehab appearance for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, and it went well. However, there is still no guarantee that the Braves will bring him back to the majors this week, nor do we know if Atlanta is confident enough in his recovery to put him on the playoff roster.
Robert Suarez warming up ahead of throwing to hitters this morning at Truist Park pic.twitter.com/DJc5m8ZjNo
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) September 13, 2026
Robert Suarez's recovery and rehab are going well, but the Braves seem unsure how to handle these final steps
Braves manager Walt Weiss was previously cagey about Suarez and the likelihood that he could return in the regular season. Like the rest of Braves Country, he probably wasn't sure if he could get ready in time, nor did he want to create any unfair expectations on a guy who was just trying to get healthy. Elbows can be finicky, and there remains no sense in trying to tempt the baseball gods' fury.
The case to bring Suarez back as soon as possible is pretty simple. After a long layoff, Suarez will be a bit rusty no matter how good he looks in rehab appearances or live BP. Giving a player who posted a 0.56 ERA in 31 appearances some playing time to knock off that rust ahead of the playoff run seems like a very good idea. It also wouldn't hurt to bring Suarez back to the Braves to give guys like Raisel Iglesias, Didier Fuentes, and especially Dylan Lee more rest this week.
However, it sounds like the Braves could forgo a regular-season return and take their time with Suarez. Braves beat writer Mark Bowman recently mentioned that Atlanta could still send Suarez to the team's spring training complex to get more rehab in now that the minor league season is over. What that would look like remains to be seen, but the odds are growing more and more that we will indeed see Suarez on the Braves postseason roster. That said, based on the Braves' words and actions, it doesn't sound like that is a lock yet.
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