Braves Bullpen Shaky, But Hernandez Emerging as a Bright Spot
The Atlanta Braves’ bullpen has been inconsistent early in the season. After making no major offseason moves to offset the departures of AJ Minter and Joe Jimenez, the remaining group has struggled to find stability, including some rough outings. As of Wednesday, Atlanta relievers hold a 4.43 ERA, ranking 21st in the league. But amidst the uneven performances, one standout has been third-year right-hander Daysbel Hernandez.
Hernandez, 28, delivered his most impressive showing yet on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. With two runners on and two outs in a tied eighth inning, the Cuban native entered and struck out Jordan Walker to escape the jam. After Eli White’s go-ahead homer in the bottom of the frame, Hernandez shut the door with three quick outs in the ninth, sealing a 5-1 homestand and earning his team-leading third win. Manager Brian Snitker is increasingly trusting Hernandez in high-leverage spots—and with good reason.
A Breakout Campaign Taking Shape
After brief appearances in 2023 and more time in Triple-A during 2024, Hernandez impressed in limited innings last season—finishing with a 2.50 ERA, 171 ERA+, and 2.11 FIP across 18 innings. His underlying metrics were strong enough to lock down a spot on the Braves’ 2025 Opening Day roster. Even so, he was expected to fill more of a middle-relief role behind presumed setup arms Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson, and Dylan Lee.
Fast forward to April 24, and Hernandez has outperformed expectations. In 11 innings so far, he leads the bullpen with a 2.38 ERA—arguably an underperformance compared to his 1.62 xERA (18th best in MLB). Opposing hitters have posted just a .227 expected wOBA against him, ranking him 17th league-wide.
Tweaks in Strategy Paying Off
Interestingly, Hernandez has taken a different approach this season. Known for his strikeout ability in the minors (11.4 K/9), he’s focused more on inducing weak contact in 2025. While he’s tallied just seven strikeouts and three walks, opponents aren’t making solid contact—his 26.7% hard-hit rate has resulted in a lot of easy outs via grounders and fly balls.
Daysbel Hernandez
He operates with a simple pitch mix: a four-seam fastball (40.1%) and a slider (59.9%). The fastball averages over 97 mph with impressive arm-side run, and so far, opponents haven’t managed a hit off of it. But the biggest change has come with his slider.
Previously a whiff-heavy pitch, he’s now throwing it in the strike zone far more often (up 5.7% from last year). This shift has caused the whiff rate to drop from 42.4% to 17.9%, but hitters still struggle to do damage—his expected batting average against the pitch is just .207, with a .277 expected slugging.
By effectively using both pitches to complement each other, Hernandez has made it tough for hitters to do anything more than make weak contact. It remains to be seen whether this pitch-to-contact focus is a long-term strategy or a small sample quirk, but it’s a logical approach behind a strong Braves defense.
Bottom Line
It’s tough to overstate how important Hernandez has been to a shaky Braves bullpen. With veteran arms struggling and no clear backup options, Snitker has had little choice but to rely on him more—and Hernandez has delivered. If he can rediscover some swing-and-miss magic while keeping walks in check, he might soon join the league’s elite relievers. And with Raisel Iglesias looking vulnerable (6.00 ERA, 7.47 FIP), it’s not out of the question that Hernandez could be the Braves’ closer-in-waiting before season’s end.
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