The Atlanta Braves bullpen has been underwhelming early in the season. With no major moves made to replace AJ Minter and Joe Jimenez during the offseason, the remaining group has struggled with inconsistency and occasional breakdowns. As of Wednesday, Atlanta’s relievers have posted a 4.43 ERA, ranking 21st in the league.
One bright spot, however, has been third-year right-hander Daysbel Hernandez. The 28-year-old has been a standout so far, delivering his best outing yet on Wednesday against the Cardinals. Entering a tense situation in the eighth inning with two on and two out in a 1-1 tie, Hernandez struck out Jordan Walker to escape the jam. After Eli White hit a go-ahead homer in the bottom half, Hernandez returned to the mound and retired the side in the ninth, securing Atlanta’s 5-1 homestand and earning his team-leading third win.
Hernandez has quickly gained manager Brian Snitker’s trust and is now being called upon more frequently in high-pressure situations.
The breakout is here
Daysbel Hernandez got a brief taste of the majors with four appearances in 2023, then spent most of 2024 with Triple-A Gwinnett. He received a few longer looks throughout the season and made the most of them, delivering an impressive 2.50 ERA, 171 ERA+, and 2.11 FIP over 18 innings. His underlying numbers were just as strong, earning him a well-deserved spot on the Braves’ 2025 Opening Day roster. Despite that, he entered the year viewed more as a middle-inning option behind expected setup men Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson, and Dylan Lee.
As of April 24, Hernandez has picked up right where he left off. In 11 innings, the hard-throwing right-hander leads the Braves’ bullpen with a 2.38 ERA—though advanced metrics suggest he’s been even better. His 1.62 expected ERA ranks 18th among all MLB pitchers, and his .227 expected wOBA allowed ranks 17th, signaling elite performance so far.
A Change In Approach
Hernandez’s strong early-season numbers have come alongside an intriguing shift in approach that seems to be paying off. Known throughout his minor league career as a strikeout pitcher (11.4 K/9), he’s been focusing more on inducing weak contact in 2025. He’s only recorded seven strikeouts so far, but has issued just three walks, and his 26.7% hard-hit rate has led to a steady stream of soft grounders and routine fly balls.
He relies on a two-pitch mix: a four-seam fastball (40.1%) and a slider (59.9%). The fastball averages just over 97 mph with strong arm-side run, and he hasn’t allowed a single hit off it yet this year, consistently elevating it in the strike zone. The more notable change, however, has come with how he’s using his slider. Once a swing-and-miss weapon, Hernandez is now throwing it in the zone far more often—up 5.7% from last year. That shift has cut his whiff rate on the pitch from 42.4% to 17.9%, but opposing hitters are still struggling to do damage against it, managing just a .207 expected batting average and a .277 expected slugging percentage.
By better blending his two pitches, Hernandez is keeping hitters off balance and limiting quality contact. Whether this pitch-to-contact approach is a deliberate long-term shift or just a short-term trend remains to be seen—but with an elite Braves defense behind him, it’s a strategy that makes a lot of sense.
The Last Word
It’s tough to overstate just how vital Daysbel Hernandez has been to the Braves’ bullpen. With several key relievers underperforming and few reliable alternatives available, manager Brian Snitker has been forced to rely on Hernandez in increasingly high-leverage spots—and the right-hander has risen to the challenge. If he can begin generating more swings and misses while maintaining his impressive control, Hernandez could quickly elevate himself into the upper echelon of MLB relievers. And with Raisel Iglesias showing signs of decline (6.00 ERA, 7.47 FIP), it’s entirely possible that Hernandez emerges as Atlanta’s closer of the future—perhaps even by the end of this season.
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