If you were a new Braves fan who just started watching the club about a month ago and heard about Atlanta’s star bullpen, you’d probably be wondering what in the hell everybody else was watching before you joined the bandwagon.
The Braves bullpen has gone from the best in baseball to just another unit of late, and the issues aren’t difficult to decipher. For starters, Atlanta’s rotation isn’t doing the relievers any favors. Outside of Chris Sale, almost no starting pitcher has been able to work into the sixth inning, forcing the bullpen to cover way too many innings for far too long. It’s made Walt Weiss turn to guys with little experience in big spots, and it’s also simply taking a toll on the top guys, who clearly look a little gassed as we get deeper into the season.
But there’s also one notable absence — All-Star reliever Robert Suarez, who posted a 0.56 ERA in his first season with the club before hitting the IL with elbow and forearm inflammation. At the time, the Braves insisted it was nothing to be too concerned about. But it’s now been five weeks, and Walt Weiss said on Friday that Suarez is still nowhere close to returning.
Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss says that relief pitcher Robert Suárez has a little way's to go before rejoining the big club.
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) July 24, 2026
At the very least, it looks like Suarez is facing several more weeks on the shelf — and that’s if there isn’t something more going on that the club doesn’t want to reveal. Missing that much time with inflammation is worrisome. Even when he does return, there’s no guarantee he’ll be as sharp as the guy we saw from March to June. In fact, it would be a lot more normal if he looked human.
Hopefully, this is just the Braves being super cautious with a player they know they’ll need to find success come October. But whether Suarez is on the roster or not, it’s become very obvious over the last month that they need to add at least one — if not multiple — high-leverage relief arms before the trade deadline.
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(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire)