Atlanta Braves reliever dominates start of minor league rehab

THE Atlanta Braves The bullpen has been excellent this season, and they are close to being at full strength again. Braves reliever AJ Minter has been sidelined the past four weeks with a hip impingement.

Saturday night, he made his first start for the Braves’ Single-A affiliate, the Rome Emperors. In his one-inning outing, he demonstrated his dominance – striking out three batters, not issuing a single walk and allowing only one hit and one error, which unfortunately led to a run .

For Minter, it remains to be seen whether he will begin another rehab in Rome or at another level. There is no definitive timetable for his return, and there should be no rush, given how Atlanta has played recently. One thing to watch is his fastball speed; as of Saturday, his fastball was hovering around 93 mph. Minter said that his speed was affected by his injury.

“Before his injury, Minter said it affected his velocity and his fastball dropped from 95.8 miles per hour in 2023 to 94.9 this season. The Tyler, Texas native cited the inability to use his legs effectively due to a hip issue as the main reason for his decline in speed.

In conclusion, the Braves bullpen is about to return one of the best pitchers in baseball.