Braves' A.J. Minter: Likely first in line for saves
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Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Thursday that Minter "obviously would be the obvious guy" to fill in at closer while Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) is sidelined, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Snitker did backtrack a bit after that, adding that "it may be a matchup scenario-type thing." Still, it seems telling that Minter is the first guy that came to mind when the manager was asked the question, likely putting him at the top of the pecking order. Joe Jimenez is probably next in line. Atlanta is hopeful that Iglesias will need only a minimum stay on the injured list.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Could fill in at closer
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Raisel Iglesias was diagnosed with low-grade shoulder inflammation Thursday and will begin the season on the injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports, and Minter could be in line for some saves while the closer is sidelined.
Iglesias will be shut down for at least the next week while he deals with the shoulder issue. Minter has had a rough spring but remains the probable fill-in option for Iglesias after posting a brilliant 2.06 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 94:15 K:BB over 70 innings during 2022. Joe Jimenez is also a candidate.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Clean outing Monday
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Minter gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning during Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.
Not that it means much, but Minter did pick up the save. The southpaw will be one of Raisel Iglesias' primary setup men this season and one of the top high-leverage options in the Atlanta bullpen, and in that role in 2022, Minter piled up a league-leading 35 holds with five wins and five saves in addition to his stellar 2.06 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 34.7 percent strikeout rate.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Avoids arbitration with Atlanta
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Minter signed a one-year, $4.3 million contract with Atlanta on Friday to avoid arbitration.
Minter was one of the best relievers in baseball in 2022, collecting a 2.06 ERA, five saves and a 94:15 K:BB over 70 innings with a major-league leading 35 holds. He'll presumably enter 2023 in a high-leverage role once again, but behind Raisel Iglesias in the pecking order for saves in Atlanta's bullpen.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Collects fifth save
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Minter walked one and struck out one in a third of an inning Friday to record his fifth save of the season in an 8-4 win over the Nationals.
Will Smith began the ninth inning with Atlanta ahead 8-1, but his struggles forced manager Brian Snitker to turn to Minter to quash a Washington rally as Kenley Jansen had pitched each of the prior two days. Over his last 10 appearances, a stretch that includes all five of his saves plus three of his 18 holds, Minter sports a 2.16 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB through 8.1 innings.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Picks up fourth save
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Minter earned the save Tuesday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning of a 4-1 win over the Mets.
Minter struck out Eduardo Escobar and then retired the last two batters on groundouts. The lefty has picked up three saves while Kenley Jansen (chest) has been on the injured list. With Jansen likely to return Wednesday, Minter should return to a setup role and may receive the occasional save chance.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Snags third save
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Minter saved Saturday's 4-3 win against the Nationals, allowing two hits while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
Minter was called upon to protect a one-run lead and delivered, although the final out came with Josh Bell at the plate and two runners on base. Both Minter and Will Smith have picked up saves with Kenley Jansen (chest) injured and there could be a few more opportunities with Jansen set to return July 12. Minter has been excellent with a 1.70 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in 37 innings across 40 appearances.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Picks up save
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Minter picked up the save in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Cardinals, allowing no runs on one hit while striking out one and walking none across one inning.
Minter picked up his second save of the season in Wednesday's outing. Both of his saves have come with Kenley Jansen on the injured list. Prior to Jansen's stint on the IL, Minter was used primarily as a set-up man, and he will likely return to that role once Jansen returns. Minter has pitched well this year, as his ERA sits at 1.80.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Possible waiver wire pickups
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The Braves believe Kenley Jansen's latest bout with an irregular heartbeat will keep him on the IL for only a couple weeks, but it's obviously not the most straightforward ailment. His replacement could be in line for ample save opportunities. Minter, who has been the team's primary setup man this year, converted the first chance in Jansen's absence Tuesday. Will Smith, who was the team's closer from start to finish last year, converted the second one Wednesday. Between the two, Minter had been filling the higher-leverage role and also has the better numbers -- good enough that you might just keep him around for ratios help, in fact. He was also likely unavailable Wednesday after working three of the previous four days.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Notches first save of year
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Minter struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his first save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Phillies.
With Kenley Jansen out of commission due to an irregular heartbeat, Atlanta will turn to its top two setup men in Will Smith and Minter to handle closing duties. The latter got the first crack at an opportunity, but it's not yet clear whether he will be the primary option for saves as Smith had pitched on four of the prior six days, and Minter may have simply been the fresher arm. The 28-year-old has done nothing this season to suggest he can't handle high-leverage spots, however, riding his high 90s fastball and plus cutter to a 1.64 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 44:5 K:BB through 33 innings.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Could be closer candidate
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Minter and Will Smith are viewed as the top candidates to pick up saves for Atlanta after closer Kenley Jansen was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to an irregular heartbeat, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Jansen has previously missed action during the 2011, 2012 and 2018 seasons on account of cardiac issues, so he'll likely need medical clearance from doctors before making his return from the IL following his latest recurrence of an irregular heartbeat. According to Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jansen will still able to throw bullpen sessions while he's on the shelf, leaving Atlanta optimistic that he'll be sidelined for only a brief period of time. However long Jansen is out, Minter could be thrust into the closer mix, even though Smith has more experience in the role and is coming off a 37-save campaign in 2021. However, with Smith's effectiveness having waned as he's moved into more of a setup role in 2022, manager Brian Snitker could be inclined to give a look in the ninth inning to Minter, who has arguably been Atlanta's best reliever this season. The lefty sports an outstanding 1.69 ERA and supports it with strong peripherals (31.7 K-BB%, 1.92 SIERA). He's also held his own against right-handed hitters, who have slashed a collective .238/.279/.338 against him while striking out 30 times in 87 plate appearances (34.4 percent).
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Notches league-leading 14th hold
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Minter worked two-thirds of an inning without being charged with a run to record his 14th hold of the season in Friday's win over the Pirates.
He did allow a sacrifice fly to Cal Mitchell after entering the game in the eighth inning with runners on second and third and only one out, but Pittsburgh's rally got no further. Minter has been Atlanta's most reliable setup man this season in front of closer Kenley Jansen, posting a 1.05 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 35:4 K:BB through 25.2 innings, and his 14 holds leads the majors, putting him one ahead of the Brewers' Devin Williams and the Angels' Ryan Tepera.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Collects third hold
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Minter struck out one in a perfect eighth inning Monday to record his third hold of the season in a 5-2 win over the Mets.
The 28-year-old southpaw continues his strong start to the season in a setup role, posting a 2.79 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB through 9.2 innings. Tyler Matzek is the current holds leader for Atlanta with six, largely due to his usage as a situational lefty, but Minter appears to be the top choice when manager Brian Snitker wants one of his portside flamethrowers to begin an inning and protect a lead. Surprisingly, Will Smith is the one who has been deployed primarily in high-leverage spots when Atlanta doesn't hold a lead -- he has only one hold and one save so far, after piling up 37 saves in 2021.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Strikes deal with Atlanta
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Minter and Atlanta agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $2.2 million contract to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Minter was one of three arbitration-eligible relievers that came to terms with the reigning World Series champions Tuesday, with Sean Newcomb ($900,000) and Tyler Matzek ($1.4 million) also getting contracts for 2022. Once viewed as a potential closer of the future for Atlanta, Minter has settled into more of a middle-relief or setup role for the club across the past three seasons. He accrued a career-high 23 holds in 2021 while finishing with a 3.78 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 57:20 K:BB in 52.1 innings.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Earns relief win
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Minter (1-0) allowed one run on three hits and no walks while striking out three in 2.2 innings to earn the win over the Astros in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.
Minter entered Tuesday's matchup after Charlie Morton was removed with a fractured fibula, and he had plenty of insurance since Atlanta combined to score five runs across the first three innings. The southpaw has been dominant during the postseason and has recorded a 0.90 ERA and 0.70 WHIP in 10 innings across six appearances.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Records one-out win
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Minter (3-6) earned the win Sunday against the Padres after recording the final out of the fifth inning.
Minter entered the game to face Trent Grisham and tamed him down with just two pitches -- that would be everything he'd need to claim his third win of the campaign. The left-hander hasn't pitched more than one inning in any of his last seven appearances but has looked impressive of late, and he's riding a streak of six straight scoreless outings. He owns a 3.24 ERA across 10 appearances (8.1 innings) this month.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Picks up loss
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Minter (2-6) allowed a hit and an unearned run through an inning of work, taking the loss in Wednesday's 3-2 defeat to the Rockies.
Minter entered in the top of the 10th inning to preserve a 2-2 tie. After Dom Nunez moved ghost runner Colton Welker to third, Minter gave up a single to Raimel Tapia that plated what would end up being the winning run. After not allowing a run (unearned or otherwise) in seven August appearances, the left-hander has allowed four runs in five September outings.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Snags win Friday
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Minter (2-4) allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning to earn the win Friday versus San Francisco.
Minter was the beneficiary of Atlanta's four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, as it put the team ahead for the first time in the contest. Since he was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Aug. 10, the southpaw has logged 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out 11. He's lowered his overall ERA to 4.05 with a 1.33 WHIP and 48:17 K:BB in 40 innings, and he's also picked up 21 holds in 48 outings.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Back in big leagues
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Minter was recalled by Atlanta on Tuesday.
Minter cruised to a 0.83 ERA last season but recorded a 4.86 ERA in 33.1 innings this year before being sent down in mid-July. He's clearly too good for the Triple-A level, however, as he didn't allow a single hit in 7.1 scoreless innings of work before earning his trip back to the big leagues. He should fill a mid-leverage role for now. Shane Greene was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
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Braves' A.J. Minter: Optioned to Triple-A
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Minter was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.
Minter was charged with the loss and the blown save against the Rays on Sunday after he allowed two runs on two hits and no walks in a third of an inning. He's now given up three runs in one inning across his two appearances after the All-Star break, and he'll attempt to sort things out in the minors going forward.
