Aaron Bummer DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Atlanta Braves announced on Friday that they placed left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer on the major-league bereavement list and recalled right-hander Zach Thompson from the minors in a corresponding move. Bummer will most likely miss the entire three-game series in St. Louis against the Cardinals, but he should be able to rejoin the team next week for their series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 31-year-old southpaw has gotten off to a bumpy start in 2025 in his second year with the team, allowing three earned runs on five hits while walking four and striking out two in five innings out of Atlanta's bullpen. Thompson, 31, will give the Braves an extra arm in their bullpen this weekend at Busch Stadium. He has not appeared in a major-league game since 2022 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he had a 5.18 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 29 outings (22 starts) over 121 2/3 innings.

The Athletic's David O'Brien suggests that the Atlanta Braves will need left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer more in high-leverage situations in 2025 with A.J. Minter gone to the division-rival New York Mets in free agency. Bummer had 69 strikeouts and 18 walks in 55 1/3 innings in his first year with Atlanta in 2024, and his 33.1 percent hard-hit rate was a career-best. However, his .277 opponents' average was almost 40 points higher than in 2023, and his 58.1 percent ground-ball rate was his lowest since his rookie campaign in 2017 with the Chicago White Sox. He's due to make $3.5 million this year after signing a new two-year, $13 million contract with the Braves last November. Overall, Bummer had a 3.58 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 2024 in 55 1/3 innings pitched.