Recent development raises new concerns for Braves bullpen

Jiménez was arguably Atlanta’s top setup man during the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, recording a 2.81 ERA over 128 appearances. Losing him was a major blow, and now it seems his status is up in the air for Opening Day in 2026 as well.

The Braves don’t really have much of a choice but to operate as if he won’t be a major contributor next season. Even if he’s cleared for Spring Training, there’s no telling whether he’ll be the same guy he was before multiple knee surgeries.

That leaves the Braves with another major hole to fill. Raisel Iglesias will likely handle the ninth, but after that, there aren’t many arms new manager Walt Weiss is going to feel comfortable leaning on in high-leverage situations. Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer are about the only options right now, and neither of them profiles as a traditional setup reliever.

Multiple high-leverage additions are needed, but it will be interesting to see whether the Braves try to produce one internally. They have a couple of intriguing relief prospects in Hayden Harris and Jhancarlos Lara, and they could also consider moving Reynaldo López back to the bullpen — a role he thrived in before Atlanta gave him another shot as a starter.