The Atlanta Braves' plans for the 2025 season have taken a turn for the worse with the recent news that reliever Joe Jiménez has undergone a 'cleanup' knee procedure. This isn't the first time the right-hander has dealt with knee issues, as he missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing surgery to repair cartilage damage in the same knee last November. While the framing of the surgery as a 'cleanup' doesn't sound especially alarming, the timeline isn't clear. The Braves' president of baseball operations, Alex Anthopoulos, said the team won't know how long he'll miss until late December at the earliest. This raises some questions about his availability for the start of the season, which would be a tough blow for a bullpen that is already lacking right-handed setup options.
Jiménez, who was acquired by the Braves from the Tigers going into the 2023 season, had a successful first season with the team, posting a 3.04 ERA and re-signing on a three-year, $26MM free agent deal. However, he wasn't able to build on that two-year run last season and evidently didn't recover as smoothly as hoped from last fall's procedure. The Braves have re-signed Raisel Iglesias to a $16MM deal, but Jiménez is projected to be their top right-handed setup man if healthy. The team has declined options on Tyler Kinley and Pierce Johnson to keep as much financial breathing room as possible, and they have brought in Mauricio Dubón as a potential stopgap at shortstop. However, the uncertainty surrounding Jiménez only magnifies their need for a righty leverage piece in front of Daysbel Hernández.
The Braves' plans for the 2025 season are now in flux, and the team will need to make some tough decisions in the coming weeks. Will they be able to fill the void left by Jiménez and still make a run at the playoffs? Only time will tell. In the meantime, fans and analysts alike are left to wonder what the future holds for the Braves and their star reliever.
