Seemingly nothing has gone right for the Braves in 2024, especially on the injury front, which was highlighted again yesterday as it was revealed Austin Riley will miss the rest of the regular season with a fractured wrist.
From the opening series against the Phillies, Atlanta has watched All-Star after All-Star go down with injuries. Sean Murphy, Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider, Orlando Arcia, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Austin Riley, Reynaldo Lopez, Max Fried, Pierce Johnson, and AJ Minter have all spent time on the IL this season.
Several have been lost for the year, the most recent one being Minter, who was moved to the 60-day IL after having surgery on his hip. Though Brian Snitker noted they don’t know if he’ll pitch again this season, this move effectively guarantees that he is done for the year.
With his free agency looming, is it possible that we have seen the last of A.J. Minter in a Braves uniform?
Much of the offseason talk this winter will surround Max Fried’s free agency and what Atlanta plans to do with his spot in the rotation if he leaves. However, Minter’s place in the bullpen is just as much of a permanent fixture as Fried’s in the rotation.
He’s been the Braves most reliable reliever since debuting in 2017. The 30-year-old owns a 3.28 ERA and 36 saves in 384 games and has been even better this year, with a 5-4 record, 2.62 ERA and one save in 39 appearances out of the bullpen.
Minter’s track record over the last five years should be enough to warrant him a lucrative contract in free agency, even coming off a significant injury, but it’s difficult to tell if the Braves will be interested in handing him a multi-year deal. With or without A.J. Minter, their bullpen is in pretty good shape for next season, and they’ve already invested a lot into the group. The Braves have bigger holes to fill, and they may not have a ton of money to spend, as their core of star players becomes more expensive by the year.
AJ Minter was a part of the Night Shift, the relief core that helped propel Atlanta to its first World Series since 1995. With the unknown of his hip injury and free agency, it’s very possible, even likely, that we have seen the last of Minter with the Braves.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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