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Craig Kimbrel finds a new home

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Chase Irle | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 8:36 PM ET

On Saturday, the Atlanta Braves made the shocking decision to designate Craig Kimbrel for assignment after he appeared in just one game for the team in which he tossed a scoreless inning.

It was far from the most impressive outing. Kimbrel surrendered a single and a walk but was bailed out by a caught stealing and a successful pickoff attempt. However, he finished with a zero on the board and also struck out the final batter he faced with a perfectly placed 93 MPH fastball. Even if he didn’t look perfect, it’s not as if the Braves have a bunch of proven relief arms in their bullpen, and they replaced Kimbrel with José Ruiz, who boasts an 8.16 ERA over 16 appearances at the major-league level.

At the very least, the process of stashing a legend of the franchise in the minors for a month, only to finally call him up and then designate him for assignment a day later was a head-scratcher. However, Kimbrel is not done yet, as he has inked a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers.

The Texas Rangers are signing Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal, per @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/5XmJR80OJJ

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 10, 2025

I’ll say this: Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves front office better hope they are right. It’s already not a great look for the Braves, who boast one of the worst bullpens in the game, but if Craig Kimbrel goes onto have success for another organization, it would be an absolute embarrassment.

Based on how this season has gone so far, I certainly wouldn’t count it out.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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