Atlanta Braves Announce Decision on Veteran Fan Favorite

The Atlanta Braves optioned outfielder Brewer Hicklen to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, a day after recalling him as the extra player for the Little League Classic.

Hicklen, 30, was added to the active roster Sunday so Atlanta could carry a 27th man for the special game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Williamsport.

With that one-night exception over, the club returned him to the Gwinnett Stripers. It is the latest shuttle for a player who has been up and down several times in 2026.

The Alabama native made his major league debut with the Kansas City Royals on May 26, 2022, and has since appeared for the Brewers and Tigers as well as the Braves.

His big-league time has always come in short bursts. With Atlanta this season he has gone 7-for-19 (.368) with four doubles, three RBI and five runs in eight games, drawing four walks and posting a 1.057 OPS in that small sample.

Those numbers were better than some of the club’s other reserve outfielders, which is why fans took to him quickly during his July stint. Hicklen was first recalled July 11 when Mike Yastrzemski landed on the injured list, then optioned July 27 to clear a roster spot for Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return from a hamstring injury.

The June 16 transaction that put him on the 40-man roster in the first place was designed to keep him from opting out of his minor-league deal after a strong start at Gwinnett.

At Triple-A this year he has been a productive depth piece: a .302 average with 18 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 96 games. That mix of power and speed is why Atlanta valued him enough to protect the roster spot even while keeping him in the International League for regular at-bats.

Hicklen grew up a Braves fan in Huntsville and has spoken about how meaningful it was to reach the majors with the team he followed as a kid.

That local connection, plus his willingness to accept the shuttle role, made him a brief fan favorite.

For now, he reports back to Gwinnett, where he remains one injury or roster crunch away from another look in Atlanta as the Braves chase the NL East.

The organization still sees him as useful depth, not a long-term everyday option, but his 2026 numbers have at least made the next call-up easier to justify.