Right-hander Joe Jimenez faced five batters during a live batting practice session Friday before the Braves’ game against the Phillies. It was the first time Jiménez faced live hitters in nearly two years, since the reliever’s appearance in Game 2 of the Braves’ 2024 Wild Card Series matchup against the Padres. About a month after that game, Jiménez underwent surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee and was given a recovery time of 8 to 12 months. He ended up missing the entire 2025 season and then had another knee last November. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports that Jiménez underwent a third procedure in March, and the cumulative effect of all these surgeries left the right-hander wondering if his career was over. “I’m grateful to be here, just to still be in this clubhouse, to have a uniform and to say I’m still here. At one point, I thought it was done,” Jimenez told Bowman and other reporters yesterday. While Jiménez has not given up hope of pitching in a major league game before the end of 2026, the chances are slim. There isn’t much time left for Jiménez to begin a rehab assignment as the minor league season ends Sept. 20, and his long layoff makes him an unlikely candidate for inclusion on Atlanta’s playoff roster. Braves manager Walt Weiss suggested that one or two instructional league games might be possible for Jimenez, as “I think it’ll be great for him going into the offseason, getting to the point where he can pitch in the game, wherever that may be. It’ll be great for his psyche.” Not long ago, Jiménez was one of the most stable relievers in baseball, particularly after the Braves acquired the right-hander in a trade with the Tigers during the 2022-23 offseason. Jiménez posted a 2.81 ERA, 30.1% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate in 125 innings out of the Atlanta bullpen in 2023-24, and the Braves signed him to a three-year, $26 million extension just before Jiménez hit the free agent market in November 2023. His knee problems derailed the final two years of that deal, and Jiménez will be an agent free this winter as his age-32 season approaches. Jiménez will likely have to settle for a minor league deal given his two lost seasons, although his past history will make him a target for several teams looking for bullpen help. A reunion with Atlanta certainly seems possible, as the Braves understand Jiménez’s health situation better than any other team.
