Craig Kimbrel returning to the Atlanta Braves could've been one of the best stories of the 2025 MLB season. Instead, it's going to be a blip on the radar after Kimbrel was designated for assignment after being called up for just one game and one inning. Following another blown save on Thursday for Raisel Iglesias, Kimbrel was called up from Triple-A for depth, appeared against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night, and then received the DFA news on Saturday morning.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today was first to report the news of Kimbrel's DFA while David O'Brien of The Athletic followed up, noting that Austin Cox was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in the corresponding move that will replace Kimbrel in the bullpen, both pf which the Braves later confirmed.
If you're just looking at the box score in the eventual loss to the Giants on Friday night, you might be surprised. Kimbrel came in after six solid innings from Spencer Schwellenbach and needed 14 pitches to get through one scoreless inning, even if he did allow a hit and a walk.
However, when you look back to Brian Snitker's messaging after the game when asked about the veteran reliever's performance, the move then looks less surprising.
Braves DFA Craig Kimbrel after just one inning in return to Atlanta
Following the appearance that included a bit of traffic despite no damage on the scoreboard, Snitker sounded less than thrilled with how things transpired for Kimbrel when speaking to the media after the game.
"Kind of lucked out in it a little bit, obviously," Snitker said. "I’m glad he got through it. It’s good to kind of get him out there for the first time. So, you know, we’ll see."
"Lucky" and "we'll see" aren't the words that a manager uses when he's feeling good and confident in what he saw. To Snitker's credit, there were some worrying signs. Not only did Kimbrel not even average 92 mph with his fastball — a far cry from the heat he once dealt — but he got out of the inning largely on some good breaks as Sean Murphy caught Heliot Ramos stealing with a throw down to second and then Kimbrel picked off Jung Hoo Lee at first base.
That eliminated the two base-runners he allowed, but it also overshadowed the fact that just six of his 14 total pitches were strikes. As far as underlying numbers with control and velocity go, there wasn't much Kimbrel showed to warrant confidence, even if an immediate DFA is still a bit shocking.
Not only does that move highlight the dramatic downturn and concern in the Braves bullpen right now, though, it also makes you question the moves that surrounded Kimbrel's return to the mound for the Atlanta for the first time in just over a decade.
Trading Scott Blewett looks baffling now from the Braves' POV
When Kimbrel was called up from Gwinnett, one of the corresponding moves that happened thereafter was trading veteran reliever Scott Blewett to the Baltimore Orioles, getting only cash considerations in return. It was almost as if they DFA'd him as well but found a trade partner for next to nothing before they could get there.
In hindsight, doing so looks completely overreactionary, especially with Kimbrel clearly not being the response that they needed him to be for the bullpen. Blewett's departure came after he was shelled for five runs (on three homers) in 1.1 innings to help allow the Diamondbacks to come back from a 9-3 deficit and win on Thursday.
At the same time, for as bad as that was, Blewett had been everything the Braves should've expected before that. In 15 innings across 10 appearances with Atlanta prior, he posted a 3.00 ERA, which is just about where the mark has been for the right-hander in his career. So, in essence, Atlanta gave that away because of one bad outing to try and turn back the clock on Kimbrel, which was always a longshot, even if a cool story.
The Braves' problems right now aren't limited to the bullpen, but giving Kimbrel the DFA boot on Saturday makes it clear that the club just simply isn't doing themselves any favors at this point.