Craig Kimbrel
Atlanta Braves
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No timeline for promotion
PAtlanta Braves  AAA
May 1, 2025
Kimbrel is still building up his velocity at Triple-A Gwinnett, and there's no timeline for him to be added to Atlanta's 26-man roster, Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
ANALYSIS
Atlanta's bullpen needs help behind closer Raisel Iglesias, but it's not clear when Kimbrel might be able to bolster the team's relief corps. The 36-year-old has thrown 7.1 innings over seven appearances between Gwinnett and Double-A Columbus, posting a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB, but his fastball velocity has mainly been sitting in the low 90s, a step back even from the 93.9 mph he averaged in the 2024 regular season. "I learned last year when it comes to velocity, the velocity itself doesn't really matter as much as how I use my pitches, masking my pitches," Kimbrel said Wednesday. "I don't throw 100 mph anymore, so I can't just go out there and try to throw it by everybody. So it's taking the mindset of a pitcher and using my pitches to get guys out." Kimbrel sits fifth on MLB's all-time save list with 440, with the first 186 coming in an Atlanta uniform, but he's unlikely to add much to that total in his second stint with the team.