Braves closer Raisel Iglesias will open the season on the injured list due to what the team announced as “low-grade” inflammation in his right shoulder. He won’t throw for at least the next seven days, and he’ll be reevaluated at that point.
Acquired in a last-minute deadline deal last summer, Iglesias was overwhelmingly dominant following his trade to Atlanta, yielding just one earned run on 17 hits and five walks with 30 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. With Kenley Jansen handling the bulk of ninth-inning duties, Iglesias recorded just one save with the Braves, but he was slated to serve as the team’s primary stopper in 2023. That’ll still likely be the plan, assuming this indeed proves to be a minor setback in his readiness for the season, but a clearer picture of his timetable to return to the roster won’t be gleaned until he’s completed this weeklong no-throw period.
Even with Iglesias sidelined, the Braves aren’t lacking for high-leverage options in what should be one of the league’s deeper bullpens. The previously mentioned Minter, who posted a 2.06 ERA while fanning nearly 35% of his opponents in 2022, is perhaps the favorite to take over as the closer for however long is necessary. However, the Braves also have several quality arms, including Collin McHugh, trade acquisition Joe Jimenez and lefty Dylan Lee, who has quietly broken out as one of the NL’s better lefties over the past couple of seasons.
The Braves took on the entirety of Iglesias’ remaining contract as part of the deal, which also sent lefty Tucker Davidson and the since re-signed (by the Braves) Jesse Chavez to Anaheim. As such, they’re on the hook for a $16M salary not only for the 2023 season but also the 2024 and 2025 campaigns — Iglesias’ age-33 through age-35 seasons. Over his past three big league seasons, Iglesias has pitched to a 2.61 ERA (2.58 FIP, 2.29 SIERA) with a 34.8% strikeout rate, 5.1% walk rate and 39.9% ground-ball rate in 155 innings.
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