Joe Jiménez has been out all season after undergoing left knee surgery last November. The Braves reliever is now nine months removed from a procedure that came with an 8-12 month timeline. Jiménez had been throwing but was shut back down after experiencing soreness in his knee, manager Brian Snitker said yesterday (relayed by Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan).
It now seems there’s a good chance Jiménez won’t pitch at all this season. This is a lost year for Atlanta. There’s little incentive to push Jiménez through discomfort. The 30-year-old righty would surely love to get back on the mound so he can go into the offseason with some normalcy, but the Braves aren’t going to take any chances.
Jiménez had the best year of his career in 2024. He threw a personal-high 68 2/3 innings with a 2.62 ERA. He recorded a career-best 27 holds while striking out nearly 30% of batters faced. It was an excellent start to his three-year, $26MM free agent deal. The injury unfortunately robbed him of most (potentially all) of year two. He’s signed for $9MM next season.
Atlanta is likely to see Raisel Iglesias depart in free agency. They’ll exercise their $7MM club option to retain Pierce Johnson, barring a late-season injury. Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee will also be back. The rest of the relief group is in question. Daysbel Hernández has a 2.25 ERA but has walked almost 20% of opponents. Atlanta acquired Tyler Kinley from Colorado last week. That suggests they’ll at least consider bringing him back on a $5MM team option, but he hasn’t managed particularly good numbers since 2022. The Braves will likely need two or three external bullpen pickups on top of a healthy return from Jiménez.
While the Braves haven’t officially ruled Jiménez out for the season, starter Grant Holmes is definitely done for the year. Atlanta almost immediately placed him on the 60-day injured list when he went down with an elbow injury before the trade deadline. The Braves later diagnosed the issue as a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. That has the potential to be a precursor to surgery, but Holmes told reporters (including David O’Brien of The Athletic) that he’ll attempt to rehab without going under the knife.
“If I can avoid the knife as long as possible, that’s the route I want to take,” the 29-year-old righty said. “I haven’t had any surgeries yet, thankfully, and I’m trying to keep it that way.” Holmes added that he’ll be on a no-throw program for at least six weeks and expressed his hope that he could resume throwing simulated games in November. He pointed out that undergoing Tommy John or internal brace surgery now would almost certainly cost him the entire 2026 season regardless. Holmes therefore felt he didn’t have much to lose in trying a non-surgical approach and evaluating how his elbow feels in a few months. If it doesn’t progress as hoped, he could undergo surgery early in the offseason and still set a goal of coming back at the start of the ’27 campaign.
Before the injury, Holmes was a bright spot in Atlanta’s nightmare season. He turned in a 3.99 ERA while striking out a quarter of opponents across 22 appearances. Holmes had impressed last season as a rookie but worked more often in long relief. He showed this season that he can be a capable mid-rotation starter as long as he’s healthy. Holmes is one of five Atlanta starters dealing with a long-term injury. They already lost AJ Smith-Shawver to Tommy John surgery, and it’d be a surprise if Spencer Schwellenbach returns from a broken elbow this year. Reynaldo López has been out almost all year after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
Chris Sale, out since mid-June with a ribcage fracture, is the only one of that quintet who seems very likely to make it back this season. Sale is set to throw a live batting practice session on Thursday (via the MLB.com injury tracker). He’s not far off a minor league rehab assignment and could return from the 60-day IL before the end of the month. That’d allow the reigning NL Cy Young winner to make five or six starts to close the season. It won’t mean anything in the standings, but it’d give the Braves some confidence entering an offseason in which they’ll face questions about everyone in the rotation aside from Spencer Strider. Atlanta will retain Sale on an $18MM club option for what’ll be his age-37 season.
The 2025 Braves team is a Disastrophe!
Because of their numerous poorly executed stragedies.
This can’t be emphasized enough. A lot of folks keep saying “they’ve been unlucky.” Yeah, because they built no depth and were relying on reclamation projects or stretching guys out who weren’t previously starters. Probably all so their bottom line looks better. Their strategy was awful and it’s bitten them two years in a row during a championship window.
To increase season tickets 30% for next year at the same time is an added slap in the face to fans. Hope they learned some kind of lesson from the last two seasons but not optimistic.
Holmes and Lopez both were starters through the minors and started MLB games. Lopez was predominately a starter. Guys get hurt sometimes. No team has enough depth to lose 5 rotation members.
@kenttwerker
It’s amazing how people turn when issues come up in a season beyond control of the team. I’ve not heard of the rise in ticket prices, but that seems hard to stomach after such a terrible season. Remember this lineup at their true potential. The offensive potential. 85% of that production with a mostly healthy pitching staff could run away with the NL. Also, if this staff, again, is mostly healthy, is much better than the ‘23 staff.
The Braves staff of a healthy ‘26 has the potential of a legitimate comparison to the staff of ‘95. That is the reason for the ‘95 trophy. (Everything went right during ‘21, from the brilliant moves at the trade deadline, the unbelievable run to the NL pennant, all the way to the parade. No disrespect intended)
The team roster is enough of the ‘23 roster that hope for enough offense is plenty enough to get each player a big ring and a big them trophy at ‘26 seasons end!!! The staff is much better in ‘26 Even in the midst of a terrible banged up season, close to 20 games below.500, this team at their high potential will easily be in the Top 10 in the MLB to raise the trophy at the end of ‘26!!!! Please, talk with hope, not with ignorant pessimism!!!
Sorry for the double post!
Preach brother, preach
LOL, “ignorant pessimism”. Ignorance is comparing this pitching staff to the ’95 staff. As the young people say, is that rage bait?? No one loves the Braves more than I, but I’m not a sucker. Braves front office wants you to buy into the theory of “injuries are holding them back”. They’ve been fairly healthy on offense this year, and they rank 24th in the Majors in runs scored. In other words, that ’23 offense is not coming back. Its over. If you want to throw your money away on this team that’s your prerogative, and yes ticket prices have skyrocketed for 2026 (I’m an A-lister). But, dont tell me I’m ignorant for being pessimistic. This team is finished and needs a rebuild.
Reynaldo Lopez likely goes back to the bullpen. Grant Holmes probably returns to the bullpen full time. Braves add 2 starters via free agency. No aces but good not great affordable starters. If Sale and Schwellenbach return to form after their injuries, then those 2 new starters (or one if Smith-Shaver can come back from his injury) plus Strider should make a decent rotation.Now if they can find the right closer and add a good shortstop and right fielder (I know they have Acuna but he likely starts the year at DH) they can compete again with the Phillies and Mets.
Who are those 2 SPs? I hear Griffin Canning is interested in a “reunion”. The torn Achilles makes him a nearly perfect fit.
Don’t know yet. Whoever has experience has a mid rotation arm and is relatively inexpensive (for starting pitching these days) and wants to actually play for Atlanta. I would suppose they would want a healthy arm rather than one coming off or starting rehab. But even then Braves may have to overpay a bit or hope that some team is willing to trade a quality arm on the cheap as they have few prospects that any of the other teams want.
😅. Surely you realize that filling all the needs you mentioned would cost the Braves nearly 100 million in yearly payroll. Yes, Iglesias and Ozuna are coming off the books, but when you add in pay raises for existing players, you’re still looking at a 75 million increase in payroll. That will never happen. Btw, a dependable 3-4 starter (think Charlie Morton in ’21-23) costs a minimum of 20 million a year. Someone like Bichette (the only decent FA SS) will cost you 25m a year. Yes, they could trade for a few of these positons of need, but their farm system is one of the weaker ones in the MLB. Not much capital. Basically, this organization is cooked.
So two starters, a closer, a shortstop, a right fielder, and 2-3 bullpen arms. Should be pretty easy.
@kenttwerker No. Pretty sure a closer is a bullpen arm. And if Lopez and Holmes are going to the pen they have no room for 3-4 more arms. If they do go to the pen, they need 1 bullpen arm and 2 starters. If they don’t, they need 2 bullpen arms and no starters or a depth starter. Other than that a DH or outfielder and a shortstop. So no, shouldn’t be that difficult with the money they have coming off the books and the payroll increase from ducking the LT this season.
Not easy, but possible only if a lot of things go their way. A particular pitcher or hitter is willing to give the team a discount because they always wanted to play for the Braves kind of thing. Or a team (like the Twins did) decides to have a fire sale gutting their system for peanuts. So almost impossible but who knows for sure.
@Sadface
No way both Lopez and Holmes goes to the pen! Lopez at #4 and Holmes goes to long reliever, and Smith-Shawver @ #5 to add a 2nd Lefty.
After the ‘24 season for Lopez (8-5 135.2 IP 1.99 ERA
Smith-Shawver is out w/TJS until 2027. He won’t pitch next season.
Seems almost every time the Braves find a good young starter in their system he gets injured and usually doesn’t come back the same. That’s why I don’t understand their reluctance to sign one or two guys at 2 or 3 years even if you end up releasing them before the end of the contract. This allows the farm guys more time to develop rather than be pushed in the fire before they are ready.
But Lopez is a injury concern as a starter and has been an effective reliever. Going with Holmes as a starter again just proves that this team is trying to be cheap. He is a capable 4 or 5, but not on a playoff team.
It’s amazing to see what the Braves have been through the past couple seasons. It just seems so out of character ter for them. They can’t seem to overcome adversity at all. This points at Snitker to a degree. I guess they are waiting for him to retire.
I think it points to an awful farm system. I am surprised Atlanta can’t churn out useful pieces like Milwaukee does.
@BBB the Braves has “Churned out” 5 ROY candidates in the past 3 years. Strider, Harris, Swelly, AJSS, and Baldwin. You should worry more about the busts your Mets are churning out.
Harris has regressed and the others have had injuries so you don’t know if they will fully come back from those injuries. As for Baldwin, great for one year, but can he sustain it next year? And Mets are playoff bound, so who is in the better position at least for now?
Atlanta graduates a close to elite player every season. This season it’s Baldwin. Last season it was Schwellenbach. Strider and Harris before that. Get a clue.
They also had Soroka and a number of other pitchers who started their careers great but couldn’t sustain those numbers in the long run and most of those pitchers did not contribute in the playoffs (aside from 2021 that is). So as a Braves fan, I can say sure the Mets have not developed players like the Braves have but it hasn’t helped the Braves where it matters most the playoffs and World Series.
A swing and a miss from Brett Baty’s Bat? Whodathunkit?
I’m gonna find it hilarious when the Mets also miss the playoffs
It’s possible that the Phil’s or Mets miss the playoffs if they don’t win the east. Both teams have shown to be streaky and are not as strong as they seem if you watch them everyday. The Phils really helped themselves at closer and that could be the difference but now Wheeler is having some health issues…
As a Braves fan I hate that they were able to get such a good pitcher. But as an MLB fan good for them. Does it matter though against the Dodgers?
Dodgers,Brewers,Padres,Cubs will give the East clubs a tough run in the playoffs. I’ve got an eye on the Reds for that last wild card if either Phil’s or Mets get into a pressure induced swoon. Mets can eat themselves alive and the Phillies are at the end of the run for this core. Nola returning and being effective is definitely a huge question mark and Wheeler has thrown a ton of innings over his time with the team and you have to hold your breath on whatever is going on with his shoulder soreness..I wasn’t even behind throwing a ton of effort or top prospects into the trade deadline because of the core’s contract situation and age. But when your in a division race it’s hard to justify not going all in…but I’m not sold that it will translate to a deep playoff run and not the beginning of another extended lean period for the Phils.
You’d think ATL would’ve rallied around Snitker for his final season, but they seemed lifeless from the start. Very bizarre non-year they’ve had. Any theories about what’s going on in that clubhouse?
The injuries this past 2 seasons tired out the team.
It is just a down season.
“It’s just a down season”. If you believe they are going to magically bounce back next year, then the old adage is proven, there’s a sucker borne everyday.
This team has been trending in the wrong direction since their historic 2023 offense. Could not advance in the playoffs and now have a snowballs chance at losing less than 90.Still some good players to build around but they got to fix the hitting and somehow avoid pitching injuries
Final season?
This team has had a serious leadership vacuum since Freddie & Dansby left. Acuna, Olson, & Riley are great players but none of them are leaders. It’s a team of guys who just go about their business. The only guy who gets mad and yells at people and calls the team out is Strider, but a pitcher is not a team leader.
I think Freddie gets too much credit for his leadership because they should have won more than just the 2021 Series. They had the Dodgers on the ropes in 2020 and managed to lose anyway. Where was Freddie’s rah rah ala Jason Heyward Cubs speech then?
As for Dansby, good but not great player Cubs way overpaid. After Freddie left did the Braves win with Swanson’s leadership?
He has to cut his hair. Then he’ll feel better.
Almost Cut My Hair
~David Crosby
Wasn’t it Graham Nash’s song?……
Daysbel Hernandez ERA can’t possibly hold up. The 2025 SO9 stat is way down from last seasons small sample.
Interesting choice by Holmes to pass on the Tommy John surgery. You wonder how many players in the 70’s and 80’s rehabbed partially torn UCL successfully without surgery.
It seems today most players opt for the surgery and believe that it makes them stronger.
It will be interesting to see how Holmes’ returns from his injury next season after resting the arm for six months.
Look back at Masahiro Tanaka as the best upside of this approach. But very much the minority
I hope he returns as strong as he has pitched this year, but he is already 29 (hardly a prospect anymore) and the Braves should not expect that much from him.
Braves and Acuna Jr. will be a big story this off season. I get the impression Acuna Jr. is dragging up with the Braves out of contention.
Acuna Jr. has been unhappy with his contract. His relationship with the Braves seems to be tumultuous.
An offseason trade of Acuna Jr. seems like a strong possibility.
You can’t provide a single quote from Acuna that he’s “been unhappy with his contract.” Zero evidence to support your comments. When Acuna signed that deal, it was the largest contract in MLB history for a player of his age and service time. He’s said several times that he “wants to be a Brave for life”—-most recently in a press conference 2 weeks ago.
That could be true, if thats what he said.
I have zero evidence that Acuna is unhappy. I know he is making 17M on a club option in ’27. He could potentially be making 17M on a club option in ’28.
10 yrs. 124M is far below what his earning power would have been had he not signed. But he opted for the guaranteed money.
There is a reason to believe that he would like the Braves to toss their side of the deal into the trash bin. He would have liked the next three years to have been renogotiated at a higher AAV and to have added more years to his contract. In that way, he says he would like to be a Brave for the rest of his career.
He didn’t have any guaranteed money in ’19 before he signed that contract. He was on a year to year salary, a career ending injury leaves him without any significant career earnings. He signed to secure 100M guaranteed.
The next three seasons at 17M per is the entire benefit the Braves locked in when they guaranteed him 100M as an emerging future star in ’19. If they feel keeping him is worth tossing that then they’ll renegotiate his deal. But picking up that club option in ’27 has potential to upset the apple cart.
It’s an interesting situation. Joc Pederson got 18.5 last season on a one year deal, Michael Conforto got 17M on a one year deal. The market appreciated substantially and left Acuna, one of the three best players in the game, (Judge / Ohtani) behind in a way and there isn’t much he can do about it and that in a way is frustrating.
If he is traded, his new team would certainly be trading for the opportunity to sign him on a new deal long term. The Braves cash in on the prospects.
A team could rework his next three seasons at say 40M per, pay him 50M for his next six seasons and tack on three at 17M to the back end. That would be 12yrs and 471M, it would be comparable to Judge’s deal. You’d get eight prime years of Acuna Jr. Could be worth it. Have to keep your players happy.
Braves have to decide if they want to sign him long term or trade him. The sooner they make that decision the better off they will be.
Yeah right. No way they trade him. He’s an injury risk every year but he’s way unpaid. If he’s unhappy he will be unhappy for at least two more team option years.
They’ll never give him 471 million regardless of whether he ‘deserves’ it.
They need another shortstop to become a contender again. You can’t win if you’re weak up the middle. Swansby left after 2021, because they didn’t want to pay him.
The funny thing is, and I still believe Swanson is overpaid by a lot by the Cubs, that they really didn’t offer him a contract after the initial low ball offer. Just take it or leave it. So they didn’t think he was that good I guess.