One of the most dominant setup men in baseball over his first two seasons with the Braves, Joe Jimenez underwent a serious knee injury following the 2024 season — and the truth behind it is a lot grimmer than the organization ever let on publicly.

“So I asked about Joe (Jimenez) last homestand, and Walt Weiss told me he had had another knee surgery,” Grant McAuley said in an interview on 92.9 The Game. “So this would be number three, but they felt like this procedure might have actually increased his chances of being able to pitch again at some point, but there is no timetable.

“And we’re not talking pitch again at some point in 2026. I have heard from a couple of different places where when they found out how bad Joe’s knee was after 2024 that there was some thought, at least initially, that this might be career threatening.”

The surgery Jimenez underwent after the 2024 season isn’t one you hear about often in baseball, or any sport for that matter. It was to remove cartilage, and he was immediately announced out for 8-12 months.

That timeline put him on track to return at some point last season, and he did begin throwing bullpens midway through the year. However, he was ultimately shut down again following a setback and had to undergo yet another procedure. At that point, it became fairly evident the chances of him ever pitching for the Braves again were slim — which McAuley confirms later in the interview.

“That dude pitched through a pretty bad knee injury in 2024, and I don’t know if that made it worse, or if it just was what it was. And I don’t even know the details of all of the different procedures that have gone on, but I can suffice it to say I would not factor in Joe Jimenez heavily into the plans of the Braves this year, and this is the final year of his contract.”

From the sound of it, Joe Jimenez left it all on the line for the Braves over his final two seasons. Not only was he among the most effective setup men in baseball, he was also one of the most utilized — making a staggering 128 appearances between 2023 and 2024, at least part of which came while pitching through a severely damaged knee.

That’s something every fan can respect, even as it becomes increasingly likely he never throws another pitch for the Braves this season.

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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)