Braves spring guide: 28 notes for 28 pitchers, from Anderson to Strider to Waldrep

New York Times

05-02-2025

ATLANTA — At last count, 28 pitchers are set to commence the annual baseball grind when Atlanta Braves pitchers and catchers start spring training next week in North Port, Florida. Chances are, most of those arms will be needed by Atlanta at some point during the 2025 season. Injuries happen. A lot.
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So, let's take a look at what the Braves have got, after a winter of under-the-radar moves that left fans wondering how the team would replace the likes of Max Fried, Charlie Morton, A.J. Minter and injured Joe Jiménez.
Here's a note on each pitcher expected to be in camp, ranging from the reigning NL Cy Young winner to grizzled veteran non-roster invitees, to youngsters with no MLB experience but enough hope and talent to make Braves decision-makers believe they might be ready to help in the not-too-distant future.
Ian Anderson, RHS: He had Tommy John surgery and last pitched in the majors in 2022. Anderson now enters the spring fully recovered, out of minor-league options and competing for a rotation spot. He had a 3.44 ERA in 15 minor-league starts in 2024, including a 3.03 ERA in his last six in Triple A, with 37 strikeouts and 18 walks in 32 2/3 innings.
Aaron Bummer, LHR: His strikeouts (69) and walks (18) in 55 1/3 innings were typical for Bummer in his first season with the Braves, and his hard-hit rate (33.1 percent) was his best ever. However, Bummer's .277 opponents' average was nearly 40 points higher than in 2023, and his groundball rate (58.1 percent) was his lowest since his rookie year. They'll need him in even more high-leverage situations with Minter gone to the Mets as a free agent.
Davis Daniel, RHS: Acquired from the Angels in a December trade for minor-league lefty Mitch Farris, Daniel has just 42 2/3 MLB innings over two seasons. His 6.23 ERA in six starts in 2024 was hardly impressive, but the 28 strikeouts and only six walks in 30 1/3 innings were solid. And in the extremely hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League, he was 9-7 with a 5.42 ERA (4.41 FIP) in 2024 and had 122 strikeouts with 34 walks in 118 innings.
Enyel De Los Santos, RHR: He signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta in December after being non-tendered by the White Sox. The power-armed Dominican had one of his worst seasons (5.20 ERA in 64 appearances with three teams), but De Los Santos, 29, remained durable and still averaged more than one strikeout per inning. During the previous two seasons with Cleveland, he had a 3.18 ERA in 120 appearances.
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Dylan Dodd, LHS: After making seven starts for Atlanta as a 25-year-old rookie in 2023, Dodd pitched in one big-league game in 2024, a two-inning relief stint. He struggled in Triple A with a 5.35 ERA in 25 games (20 starts) and will need significant improvement (and perhaps an injury or two elsewhere) this spring to avoid being sent down.
Bryce Elder, RHS: In his second MLB season in 2023, Elder had a 2.45 ERA in 17 starts through July 3 and made the NL All-Star team. In his 24 starts since then, he has a 6.07 ERA with 95 strikeouts, 50 walks and 137 hits allowed in 121 2/3 innings.
Domingo Gonzalez, RHR: He was added to the roster in November because the Braves didn't want the big-armed former Rule 5 draft pick to become a minor-league free agent. Gonzalez, 25, had a 2.91 ERA across 45 appearances in Double A and Triple A in 2024, totaling 83 strikeouts with 22 walks in 52 2/3 innings.
Daysbel Hernández, RHR: He'll get an opportunity to fill a key set-up role that opened when Jiménez had knee surgery in October that will keep him out much of the 2025 season. Hernández, 28, spent most of last season in Triple A but posted a 2.50 ERA in 16 appearances with Atlanta while totaling 26 strikeouts and 10 walks in 18 innings. Right-handed batters were 4-for-38 (.105) with 14 strikeouts against him in those outings.
Grant Holmes, RHS: A feel-good story for the Braves in 2024, when, after 10 years in the minors with multiple organizations without getting a call-up to the big leagues, Holmes debuted with Atlanta and posted a 3.56 ERA in 26 games, including seven starts, while striking out 70 and walking only 15 in 68 1/3 innings. He's out of minor-league options and will compete for a rotation spot, with long relief also a possibility.
Raisel Iglesias, RHR: The closer's 1.96 ERA in 152 appearances since his Braves debut on Aug. 5, 2022, is the second-lowest among MLB pitchers with at least as many appearances, behind Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase (1.85). Iglesias didn't allow an earned run in 30 consecutive outings from June 18 through Sept. 13, limiting hitters to an .089 average in that stretch.
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Joe Jiménez, RHR: He had career-bests in ERA (2.62), appearances (69), innings (68 2/3), strikeouts (82), fewest homers allowed (two), hits per nine innings (5.9) and WHIP (0.990). Then Jiménez had October surgery for a nagging issue that cropped up during the season, and the damage was much worse than anticipated. The Braves say he could be out until August or longer, but privately are hopeful a smooth recovery will allow him to return sooner.
Pierce Johnson, RHR: After splitting primary set-up duties with Jiménez for most of 2024, Johnson will be relied upon even more in 2025. He has a good, mid-90s fastball, but curveballs are his thing — 72 percent of his pitches in 2024 were curves, far and away the highest rate in MLB among pitchers with 10 or more appearances.
Dylan Lee, LHR: Had a personal-best 2.11 ERA in a career-high 52 appearances, including a 1.76 ERA in his last 31. Lee had reverse splits in 2024, as right-handers hit .194 with a .597 OPS in 162 plate appearances, while lefties hit .273 with a .753 OPS in 78 PAs. His slider produced the fifth-highest whiff rate (45.6) for any pitcher who threw at least 400 sliders.
Reynaldo López, RHS: He moved from bullpen to rotation for the first time since 2021 and made the NL All-Star team. Despite two second-half injured-list stints for forearm and shoulder issues, López finished with a 1.99 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) and had 148 strikeouts in 135 2/3 innings, which was more innings than he'd pitched in any two seasons combined during the previous four years.
Rolddy Muñoz, RHR: The Braves added Muñoz, 24, to the roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Though he had a modest 4.24 ERA in 38 appearances in 2024 in High A and Double A, he racked up 75 strikeouts with 22 walks and only three homers allowed in 51 innings.
Enoli Paredes, RH: He signed a minor-league deal with the Braves in November, after clearing waivers with the Cubs. Paredes had a 1.66 ERA in 18 appearances with the Brewers and Cubs in 2024, albeit with only 16 strikeouts against 10 walks in 21 2/3 innings. But he recorded 48 strikeouts with 12 walks in 31 2/3 innings in Triple A last season, and this winter Paredes had a 1.17 ERA in eight appearances in the Dominican League.
Angel Perdomo, LHR: The former Pirates reliever missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Braves signed him in December 2023 intending to have Perdomo available in 2025 and beyond (four years of contractual control remaining before free agency). The lefty struck out an eye-opening 37.6 percent of batters he faced in 2023 with Pittsburgh.
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Anderson Pilar, RHR: Selected from the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft, Pilar will get a chance to win a bullpen job with the Braves. They must keep him on their 26-man roster or put him through waivers and offer him back to Miami if he clears for $50,000. Pilar features a 93-95 mph cutter, can pitch multiple innings, and had a 2.64 ERA in 37 appearances with three Marlins affiliates in 2024, totaling 71 strikeouts with 13 walks in 58 innings
Chris Sale, RHS: The former perennial AL Cy Young candidate had not stayed healthy for any of the previous five seasons when the Braves traded for him in late December 2023. But Sale returned to elite form in Atlanta, winning the NL Cy Young in his age-35 season by going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings. He didn't miss a start until a sore shoulder sidelined him for the last week of the season and the wild-card playoff loss. The Braves need Sale to stay healthy and pitch great again in a rotation that lost (or let go) Fried and Morton in free agency.
Royber Salinas, RHR: He was claimed off waivers from the Athletics in November, then was non-tendered and signed a minor-league deal. Salinas, 23, began his pro career with the Braves and was sent to the A's in the trade that brought catcher Sean Murphy to Atlanta. Salinas struggled with a 4.60 ERA in 10 starts in Double A and Triple A last season.
Spencer Schwellenbach, RHS: He was a revelation as a rookie, a major reason the Braves' rotation stayed afloat after Spencer Strider needed season-ending elbow surgery just two starts in. Schwellenbach, a former University of Nebraska shortstop, had made only 24 minor-league starts before being brought to the majors and surpassing all expectations: 3.35 ERA in 21 starts with 127 strikeouts and just 23 walks in 123 2/3 innings.
Chasen Shreve, LHR: A lefty drafted by the Braves in 2010, Shreve signed a minor-league deal last month and returns to the organization where he made his MLB debut in 2014. The 34-year-old had only one major-league appearance in 2024 (scoreless inning for Colorado) while stringing together a 2.62 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings for Triple-A affiliates with three different organizations.
AJ Smith-Shawver, RHS: This could be a make-or-break season for Smith-Shawver with the Braves. Their former No. 1 prospect pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his 2024 season debut on May 23 at Wrigley Field but came out of that with an oblique strain that sidelined him for six weeks. After returning and posting a 4.18 ERA in 12 erratic and closely monitored Triple-A starts (the first six were 4 1/3 or fewer innings), his next MLB start was in the Wild Card Series at San Diego, where he lasted 1 1/3 innings and gave up four hits, three runs and a homer.
Spencer Strider, RHS: After leading the majors with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts in 186 2/3 innings in his second MLB season in 2023, Strider was a preseason Cy Young favorite. But he had UCL damage after two starts and had season-ending elbow surgery (internal brace, not Tommy John). He won't be on the Opening Day roster because the Braves are being careful with his rehab, but Strider has been on his regular throwing program this winter and is expected to have more or less a normal spring training. How soon he returns — best guess: late April to mid-May — and how close he gets to his previous dominant form could go a long way in determining the Braves' fortunes.
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Wander Suero, RHR: It's been a while since his 78-appearance season with the Nationals in 2019 when Suero had 81 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings. His ERA soared over 6.00 in 2021 and he's toiled since then mostly in Triple A with three organizations. The 33-year-old drew renewed attention with a strong Triple-A season for the Astros in 2024 followed by solid work over the winter in the Dominican League (1.83 ERA in 20 appearances for Licey).
Hurston Waldrep, RHS: The Braves' first-round pick from the 2023 draft made his highly anticipated MLB debut in June 2024, and showed he still had plenty to work on. Waldrep looked nervous or overmatched while allowing nine hits, 13 earned runs and eight walks with as many homers allowed (three) as strikeouts in seven innings of two big-league starts. With how the Braves use extra starters to provide rest for their rotation regulars, he'll likely get another chance in the majors by early summer and a chance to show that he's progressed.
Jordan Weems, RHR: Another veteran on a minor-league deal, the 32-year-old Georgia native spent the past three seasons with the Nationals. His ERA jumped from 3.62 in 51 appearances in 2023 to 6.70 in 41 appearances in 2024. Weems is a fastball-slider guy with 95 strikeouts in 96 1/3 innings over the past two seasons but has 52 walks and 16 homers in that span.
Amos Willingham, RHR: Claimed off waivers from the Nationals in January, Willingham, 26, is coming home. He's from Rome, Georgia, and pitched at Georgia Tech. He has a 7.11 ERA in 19 MLB relief appearances, all in two seasons with the Nationals, with 16 strikeouts, nine walks and nine homers allowed in 25 1/3 innings. In Triple A last season, he had 71 strikeouts with 31 walks in 68 1/3 innings.
(Top photo of Spencer Strider: David J. Griffin / Icon Sportswire via Associated Press)