With nothing left to play for in the 2025 season, the Atlanta Braves have no reason not to go above and beyond when it comes to carefully bringing back injured players. If there is any risk or discomfort, the Braves' best path is to continue to shut players down and focus on building towards next season. In a lost year, Atlanta's focus must be on protecting its future as much as possible. With this in mind, recent injury updates aren't going to come as a surprise.
Reliever Joe Jimenez has already missed the majority of the 2025 season and will now be shut down until next season. Rehabbing a knee injury has caused some discomfort, causing Atlanta to slow the rehab and wait until next year to bring back the valued reliever. It makes sense not to rush a player who is already a non-factor this season. Still, it is yet another depressing injury update in a long line of frustrations.
Jimenez wasn't the only Braves pitcher included in the report, with Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach both appearing unlikely to return for the 2025 season, according to manager Brian Snitker. Neither player returning is the wiser decision as the Braves continue to close in on what will be an incredibly pivotal offseason.
Braves Shut Down Key Reliever Continuing to Build for 2026 Season
It isn't easy to admit defeat; however, the Braves have been bad enough that the team could go on a 20-game winning streak and still be in bad positioning. This is as telling of where the season has fallen as anything. Even a historic win streak wouldn't be enough to save a lost season.
With this in mind, shutting down the remaining injured players is the right move. Atlanta not only needs to go into next season healthy, but must find new depth and impact players in the lineup. Atlanta's roster isn't simply a healthy week or two away from being a contender. We've seen this group fully healthy, and they simply weren't good enough.
The front office must understand this and continue to protect its players while turning attention to the pivotal offseason ahead. Not only do you need to regain health, but the roster needs consistent, meaningful additions to nearly every position group. All of this helps explain the decision and makes the path of shutting down star players the obvious choice in a lost season.