Braves Designate Elieser Hernandez For Assignment

The Braves announced that right-hander Elieser Hernandez has been designated for assignment, and left-hander Connor Thomas was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett in the corresponding move.  Thomas was already on the 40-man roster, so Atlanta now has two open spots on its 40-man.

Hernandez signed a minor league deal with the Braves last winter, and that deal was only selected to the active roster earlier this week.  The veteran righty finally got into a game yesterday and ended up earning the win after tossing three shutout innings of relief in the Braves’ 10-inning, 7-6 win over the Orioles.  However, as the proverbial last man on the roster, Hernandez is now the odd man out as Atlanta will call on Thomas as a fresh arm for the weekend.

Friday’s game marked Hernandez’s first MLB outing since 2024, and only his tenth Major League game over the 2023-2026 seasons.  Best known for his time as a member of the Marlins’ rotation and bullpen, Hernandez didn’t see any big league playing time in 2023 due to injury, and he then posted a 6.32 ERA over 15 2/3 innings for the Dodgers and Brewers in 2024.  Hernandez’s 2025 campaign was spent mostly in South Korea with the KBO League’s LG Twins, but signed a minors deal with the Blue Jays last August and made four appearances for their Triple-A affiliate.

Over 76 1/3 innings for Gwinnett, Hernandez has posted a 4.83 ERA, 21.6% strikeout rate, and 8.1% walk rate while starting 11 of his 20 games.  With Carlos Carrasco now off to Hernandez’s old KBO club, it is possible the Braves might view Hernandez as a replacement to fill Carrasco’s role as a veteran who is frequently recalled (and then DFA’ed and outrighted) when Atlanta needs a fresh arm.  The decision is up to Hernandez if he clears waivers, as he has the right to decline any future outright assignments in favor of free agency.