From the years 2010-2014, closer Craig Kimbrel was absolutely electric for the Atlanta Braves. He earned NL Rookie of the Year honors and appeared in four All-Star Games over this stretch while posting a jaw-dropping 1.52 ERA. He is still the team’s all-time saves leader, and ranks fifth in that category in MLB history at 440.
As you could imagine, now at age 36, Kimbrel is well past his prime. The last few seasons have been a struggle for the hard-throwing right-hander. But now he’s back where it all began, and he’s eyeing a return to a big-league mound that could come sooner rather than later if his recent form is any indication.
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Craig Kimbrel looks ready to help the Braves bullpen
Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves front office had a very conservative offseason this past winter. The starting rotation and bullpen were depleted and there were minimal additions to help patch the holes. Charlie Morton and Max Fried both joined the AL East (the Orioles and Yankees, respectively), while Brian Snitker’s most trusted relief arm, AJ Minter, became a division rival with the New York Mets.
Anthopoulos made it clear that any needs the team had would be addressed internally if possible, but making some additions in the free agent market was unavoidable. The Braves’ bullpen has gotten off to a disastrous start, leading Atlanta to reunite with Kimbrel and hope that the future Hall of Famer has enough left in the tank to make a big-league contribution. Judging by his Minor League stats so far, it is safe to say Kimbrel is ready to be in the Majors again.
5,344 days between @GoStripers K’s for Craig Kimbrel!
The @Braves reliever rips off his fifth straight hitless outing as he eyes a return to The Show: pic.twitter.com/pO5e92jLyI
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 25, 2025
Kimbrel is currently with Triple-A Gwinnett and pitched a clean inning on Thursday, his fifth consecutive hitless frame during this Minor League stint. With the Atlanta offense starting to wake up a little bit, the bullpen is in need of a trusted arm on the back end. Of course Kimbrel will not be expected to take Raisel Iglesias’ closing role, but he could add another option for Snitker in a high-leverage situation. Kimbrel’s stuff looks like it can still play in the Majors; don’t be surprised if we see him with the big-league club in the next few weeks.
