Former Braves World Series Champion Signs with Yankees

Matzek was one of the members of the 2021 team who made a brief return to the Braves late last season. In 11 appearances with Atlanta, he had a 9.90 ERA with a 1.90 WHIP in 10 innings pitched. He allowed 11 earned runs on 16 hits, walked three and struck out 10. Hitters batted .356 against him. 

These 11 appearances were Matzek’s first on an MLB mound since Oct. 5, 2022. Matzek underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2023 season. 

It was a rough return from his recovery, and he faced another injury again in early May that took him out for more time. He was sidelined with elbow inflammation on May 7, placed on the 15-Day Injured List and never made another appearance that season. 

This is technically the second time he’s left the Braves organization. They dealt him to the San Francisco Giants in the second Jorge Soler trade back in July. After the Giants released him a month later, the Braves picked him up and assigned him to Triple-A, according to his MLB.com profile.

While his time in Atlanta has ended on a low note, his time as an important reliever to a World Series-winning team can’t be taken away from him. During the 2021 regular season, he had a 2.57 ERA, 169 ERA+ with 77 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched.  

Come October, he was lights out. He had a 1.72 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched. He made four appearances in the World Series, including two scoreless frames in the decisive Game 6. 

FanGraphs projects, assuming he breaks camp with the Yankees, that Matzek will finish the 2025 season with a 4.33 ERA in 38 innings pitched. 

The Braves play the Yankees twice in Spring Training - once in North Port on March 2 and once in Tampa on March 19 in a split-squad game. That's two opportunities for the team to potentially face off against their former reliever.