Braves Release Kyle Nelson

The Braves have released left-hander Kyle Nelson, according to the transactions log at MLB.com. He had been with the organization on a non-roster deal.

Nelson made sense as a potential depth piece for Atlanta. He has a serviceable 4.34 ERA in 116 big-league innings dating back to 2020. He has struck out 23.1% of opposing hitters while walking 9.0% of them. Most of the strikeouts came in 2023 with the Diamondbacks, when he pitched a career-high 56 innings with a 4.18 ERA. In every other season, he has run a sub-20% strikeout rate. Nelson’s numbers fell off a bit in 2024, and he missed most of that season recovering from thoracic outlet surgery. Though he returned in 2025, he was designated for assignment in early July and sent outright to Triple-A. He only pitched two innings over three appearances with Arizona in 2025, electing free agency after the season.

Nelson made just one appearance in the Braves’ big-league camp, allowing one earned run in one inning against the Red Sox on March 17. He clearly faced an uphill battle to make the Braves’ season-opening bullpen. Raisel Iglesias and Robert Suarez will handle the late innings. Meanwhile, the club has three lefties in Dylan Lee, Aaron Bummer, and Jose Suarez to cover the middle innings and long relief. Lee has been excellent in the last two years with a 2.74 ERA and a 23.9% K-BB rate. Bummer is one of the game’s best at inducing groundballs, while Jose Suarez impressed with a 1.86 ERA in a limited sample last year.

For now, Nelson will return to the market and look for a club to take him on as minor-league depth. Though he has been in the league since 2020, he is still younger than 30 and can be controlled through 2028 via arbitration. If he can work his way back to the majors, he can also provide roster flexibility through his one remaining option year.