Joe

Jimenez

Jiménez is expected to be sidelined into the second half of the season after knee surgery.

It’s merely a procedural move as Jiménez is expected to miss the first half of the year recovering from last year’s left knee surgery. He should be an option for the Braves following the All-Star break.

It’s a significant hit to Atlanta’s high-leverage relief mix as Jimenez will be sidelined until at least midseason after undergoing a procedure to repair cartilage damage in his left knee. The 29-year-old righty has been lights-out over the last two years for the Braves, registering a sparkling 2.81 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 155/37 K/BB ratio across 125 innings (128 appearances).

Iglesias picked up the save, but it was a complete effort out of the Braves’ bullpen to earn the win in this win. Reynaldo López was pulled after five innings, but the trio of Grant Holmes, Joe Jiménez, and Iglesias combined to retire all 12 batters they faced while striking out three over four innings. Iglesias’ 27 saves puts him just seven away from the career-high 34 he earned in 2019 while with the Reds. He has just over a month to try and top that total.

Iglesias had pitched each of the previous three days. The appearance tonight was Jiménez’s third in four days and he needed 28 pitches to get three outs, so he should be down on Saturday. Fortunately, Iglesias will likely be ready then.

Raisel Iglesias got the win after working a scoreless ninth and allowing just the Manfred Man to score in the 10th. Jiménez was working with just a one-run lead in the bottom of the 11th, but he managed to strand the automatic runner and protect the lead for his 22nd career save. He has a 2.31 ERA in 35 innings this season.

Jimenez filled in nicely for Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, who had pitched in three of the last four days. There’s no closer controversy in Atlanta, but Jimenez lowered his ERA on the season to 2.89 with the scoreless inning.

The deal, which is official, will keep Jiménez from reaching the open market this offseason and make him a central component of the Braves’ high-leverage mix through 2026. The 28-year-old right-hander, who was acquired last December from the Tigers in exchange for a pair of prospects, compiled a strong 3.04 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 73/14 K/BB ratio across 56 1/3 innings (59 appearances) this season in his Atlanta debut.

Jiménez was away from the club for a few days earlier this week on paternity leave and might be an option to close with lefty A.J. Minter continuing to struggle and veteran Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) still ramping up on a minor league rehab assignment.

Jiménez should be back in a day or two. Even though his velocity has been down after offseason back surgery, he’s amassed a 2.25 ERA in nine appearances this season.