Following a dismal 0-7 start, the Atlanta Braves have regained their footing over the last three weeks.
Though they still possess a losing record, the Braves have won 14 of their last 22 games, climbing out of the cellar of the National League East and resembling the team that has made seven straight postseason appearances. Hot streaks from Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna, along with the return of Sean Murphy, have re-ignited the offense, while reigning Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale has begun to look more like himself over his last few starts.
If there is still one area of concern, however, it is the bullpen. Set-up man Joe Jimenez may be out for the season with a knee injury, and Aaron Bummer (4.76 ERA) and Enyel De Los Santos (4.73 ERA) have not gotten the job done. Yet at the top of the worry list is closer Raisel Iglesias, who has already blown two saves and a pair of losses. Iglesias’s game already showed signs of slippage last year where, despite posting a sparkling 1.96 ERA, he saw his strikeout rate drop to a career-low 8.2 K/9. He was able to mitigate the lack of whiffs by inducing weak contact at an elite rate, but the bottom has fallen out in 2025, and his expected numbers (8.29 expected ERA, .300 expected batting average) paint an even darker picture than his 5.73 ERA.
Given Iglesias is 35 years old and has seen his average fastball velocity drop by over a full mile per hour from 2024, it is hard to see how he turns things around, which is why ESPN’s Jeff Passan identified him as one of five players whose slow start warrants panic.
“In 11 innings, Iglesias has given up more home runs (five) than he did in 69⅓ innings last year (four),” Passan wrote. “He weathered a precipitous dip in strikeout rate last season, but his slider -- always a strength -- is catching too much of the strike zone and being ambushed.”
With no clear option to replace Iglesias as closer on the active roster, expect the Braves to be active on the reliever market come the trade deadline.
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