Braves Designate Ian Hamilton For Assignment

The Braves announced a handful of roster moves on Friday ahead of a matchup against the Mets. With lefty Danny Young returning from the 60-day IL, right-hander Ian Hamilton was designated for assignment. Atlanta also recalled righty Anthony Molina. He’ll take fellow righty James Karinchak‘s spot on the roster.

Hamilton was part of a disastrous seventh inning last night against the Cardinals. He and two other relievers combined to allow seven runs, turning a slim lead into a big deficit. Hamilton has permitted four earned runs in four appearances with the Braves.

It’s the second DFA of the campaign for Hamilton. He signed a minor league deal with the Braves in December and made it up to the big-league club a few weeks into the season. The veteran righty was bumped off the roster after one appearance in April. Hamilton went unclaimed on waivers and chose to accept an outright assignment to the minors. He’ll go through the process once again, with another opportunity to reject a minor league assignment and choose free agency if no club grabs him off waivers.

Young’s 2025 campaign was cut short by an elbow sprain in April. The injury ultimately required reconstructive surgery. He signed with the Braves over the winter. The lefty made five scoreless appearances during his rehab stint. Young should immediately make an impact in a Braves bullpen that has leaned heavily on Dylan Lee this season.

The 32-year-old Young is coming off a little more than a season of decent production with the Mets. He posted strong strikeout numbers out of New York’s bullpen, but struggled with walks at times. Young worked his way into the late-inning mix in 2024. He picked up seven holds as a key left-handed option.

Molina is one of several veteran arms to be up and down frequently with Atlanta. This will be his third stint in the majors this year. He has a 5.40 ERA across 5 innings. Molina’s fastball velocity is up more than 1 mph with the Braves. He’s also throwing a harder slider.

Karinchak made his long-awaited MLB return this season. He hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2023 with the Guardians. The righty has kept runs off the board in eight appearances, recording a 2.08 ERA, but it’s come with an underwhelming 21.2% strikeout rate and a bloated 12.1% walk rate. Karinchak is in his final minor league option year. There’s a decent chance he gets another shot in the majors this year.