When the Atlanta Braves signed former star closer Craig Kimbrel, the belief was that the veteran could help steady the middle innings. Expectations weren't for Kimbrel to challenge Raisel Iglesias for the closer role or to become a dominating setup man. The hope was simply that Kimbrel could find his form from the early 2024 season and be a reliable middle innings asset. It is easy to make the case that Kimbrel has more than proven himself at Gwinnett.
The production hasn't been perfect; however, the veteran has a 2.08 ERA and has shown surprising velocity. There is still life in Kimbrel's arm, and it is far past time Atlanta stopped ignoring the veteran's value. Recent bad outings from Dylan Lee, Aaron Bummer, and Raisel Iglesias have helped drive this home. Atlanta's bullpen has been overachieving at a level that simply cannot be maintained. Kimbrel should already be on the active roster, with the team looking for potential upgrades on the trade market.
Craig Kimbrel Should Already be a Part of the Atlanta Braves' Active Roster
This was further driven home by the team's surprising move of demoting Bryce Elder, only to call up Dylan Dodd. The veteran reliever only has value on the active roster if a pitcher is unable to get deep into a game. Dodd has proven incapable of pitching reliable innings at this level. Moving Elder down for Dodd is a terrible decision that deserves heat.
The Braves are in the process of turning their season around, having a winning record for the first time in the 2025 season. It has been a hard-fought battle that is far from over with the Mets and Phillies pacing the National League East. With this in mind, the Braves need to be doing everything in their power to contribute to winning.
Meaning it should be Kimbrel or another pitcher capable of helping the team on the active roster. Calling up Dodd is a mistake; this is especially the case when you demote a starter in Bryce Elder, who was truly turning things around. It seemed Elder was just figuring things out ahead of a tough demotion to make room for Spencer Strider.
No question, Kimbrel should already be on Atlanta's active roster. The team continuing to delay the inevitable is odd, considering what should be a healthy level of desperation for a franchise that still has a long way to go to get back into the postseason conversation.