The Atlanta Braves pitching staff has been one of the focal points of Spring Training. The Braveshave already made multiple cutsto get their roster down to 50 players and the Braves bullpen is a particularly hot battle with eight non-roster invitees entering camp to battle for a middle relief spot.
While the competition has been fierce as Grapefruit League action has fired up, it hasn’t eliminated the need for reinforcements. The Braves made that call on Monday morning as they added another veteran that could compete for a spot in Atlanta’s bullpen.
Braves Sign Former Phillies Reliever Hector Neris
The Athletic’s David O’Brien reports that the Braves have signed right-handed reliever Hector Neris as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training. Neris most recently pitched with the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs last season, posting a 4.10 ERA, 1.39 WHIP with 64 strikeouts and 28 walks in 59.1 innings.
#Bravessigned 35-year-old reliever Hector Neris as a non-roster invitee; the righty will be in camp today. Had a 4.10 ERA, 1.399 WHIP in 62 appearances with Astros and Cubs in 2024 (64 Ks & 28 BB in 59 1/3 innings). There are now 49 Braves in camp.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL)March 3, 2025
Of course, Braves fans are familiar with Neris thanks to his time with the Philadelphia Phillies. The 35-year-old broke in with Philadelphia in 2014 and spent eight seasons there, posting a 21-29 record, a 3.42 ERA and 84 saves. Neris signed with the Astros as a free agent before the 2022 season and spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons there before last year’s midseason trade to the Cubs.
Neris wasn’t impressive during last season as he posted a 10.8% walk rate and 9.1% barrel rateaccording to Baseball Savant.But he’s not far removed from being one of the best relievers in baseball after posting a 28% hard hit rate (defined as the rate of contact with an exit velocity of 95 mph or more) and an 86.5 mph average exit velocity in 2023.
It adds to the battle royal in the back of the Braves’ bullpen where Buck Farmer leads the competition for the final bullpen spot. Neris also has to battle Jake Diekman and Enyel De Los Santos as fellow non-roster invitees still competing for that final spot.
With just over three weeks to go, the Braves bullpen competition is continuing to heat up and could give Atlanta plenty of depth when they open the season against the San Diego Padres on March 27.
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