Fans Upset After Braves' Craig Kimbrel Announcement on Saturday
Fans Upset After Braves' Craig Kimbrel Announcement on Saturday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher Craig Kimbrel used to be one of baseball's best closers. The nine-time All-Star spent his first five seasons with the club, earning NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2011 after going 4-3 with a 2.10 ERA in 79 appearances while converting a NL-high 46 out of 54 save opportunities.
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Kimbrel led the NL in saves from 2011-14, which covered most of his initial Braves tenure. The club drafted the 6-foot, 215-pounder No. 96 overall in the 2008 MLB Draft and initially called him up in May 2010. He pitched 20.2 innings that season.
Kimbrel played for the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles from 2015-24. The journeyman was named Reliever of the Year as a Red Sox player in 2017 and won the 2018 World Series with them. He also became the eighth pitcher in MLB history to reach 400 career saves while pitching for the Phillies in May 2023.
However, Kimbrel struggled as an Oriole in 2024, recording a 5.33 ERA in 57 appearances. The 37-year-old signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta this past March and made his first big-league appearance of the year in its 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Friday. However, the team announced a move on Saturday that upset its fans via social media.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) © Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
"The Braves today recalled LHP Austin Cox to Atlanta and designated RHP Craig Kimbrel for assignment," it announced.
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Kimbrel pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Friday, while Cox hasn't pitched in MLB since 2023.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" one fan asked.
"Sell the team," another said.
"The decisions lately feel like no one is in charge. I haven't had this feeling since the 70s. I'm not going back there! Get it together," another said.
"What are we doing here?" another asked.
"Most embarrassing team in the league, can't just call someone up, has to be an absolute circus," another said.
Related: Braves Announce Trade With Orioles After Craig Kimbrel News
Related: Diamondbacks Make Josh Naylor Move Amid Injury News
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
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