The Atlanta Braves had a miserable start to the season, but started to pick things up. Heading into Saturday, they own a 24-26 record and have a major reinforcement back.
Right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. returned to action on Friday after missing a year with a torn ACL. In his first at-bat, he hammered a home run and got the fanbase energized. The Braves still ended up falling 2-1 to the San Diego Padres.
Prior to getting Game 2 of the series underway, it was revealed that a former player had decided to retire. Pitcher Jake Diekman posted on his X account that he officially retired.
✌🏼it’s been a blast pic.twitter.com/klyiwduchf
— Jake Diekman (@JakeDiekman) May 23, 2025
Pitcher Jake Diekman Retired From the MLB
The Braves signed Diekman back in February but released him in March shortly after. He didn't land anywhere else since and chose to hang his cleats up instead.
Diekman entered the league in 2007 as a 30th-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nebraska native was a journeyman across his 13-year career. He played with the Phillies, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, and, most recently, the New York Mets.
Over those stops, he went 27-34 with a 3.91 ERA, 19 saves, and 764 strikeouts. Diekman transitioned from starter to a reliever in 2009, and that's how he made the most of his career.
Although he was never an All-Star and World Series champion, Diekman was still a solid arm in the bullpen. He constantly found ways to latch onto teams and carve out a role. He wasn't able to do that with the Braves, but he was clearly on the tail end of his career.
Older Braves fans most likely remember him as a rival more than a part of their team, but regardless, he was briefly on the team, and now he has made a decision to step away from the game permanently.