The Atlanta Braves have wasted little time keeping right-hander Elieser Hernández in the organization.
After designating him for assignment earlier in the week, the club signed the 31-year-old free agent to a minor-league contract on Sunday and immediately assigned him to Triple-A Gwinnett, via MLB.com.
The sequence began September 9, when Atlanta selected left-hander Bailey Falter to the major-league roster and designated Hernández.
The same announcement returned Reynaldo López from a rehabilitation assignment and placed Bryce Elder on the 15-day injured list after knee surgery. Two days later Hernández elected free agency. By Sunday, the Braves had re-signed him, a quiet move that keeps a familiar arm close as the regular season winds down.
Hernández is in his first year with Atlanta after previous major-league stops with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers.
Since entering the big leagues in 2018, he has primarily worked as a reliever. In limited action this year he has been effective: two wins, no losses and a 2.45 ERA in four appearances.
Those numbers, even in a small sample, help explain why the Braves were willing to bring him back so quickly rather than let him shop himself to other clubs.
The timing also reflects the realities of a pennant race. Atlanta entered Sunday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies with an 88-61 record and first place in the National League East.
A sweep would give the Braves extra breathing room before they travel to Wrigley Field for a series against the Chicago Cubs.
Depth remains a concern after Elder’s injury and the usual late-season wear on a pitching staff. A pitcher who already knows the organization and has posted respectable numbers this year is an inexpensive insurance policy at Triple-A.
Whether Hernández returns to the major-league roster before October depends on further injuries, performance at Gwinnett and how the bullpen holds up.
For now the move simply keeps options open. In a division race that still has two weeks of regular-season games left, that kind of flexibility can matter.
The Braves have made similar low-profile additions before, treating the waiver wire and minor-league free-agent market as a way to stock Gwinnett with veterans who can be recalled on short notice.
Hernández fits that profile: experienced, recently effective in Atlanta, and now under contract again after a brief detour into free agency.
Sunday’s announcement closed a three-day chapter that began with a designation for assignment and ended with the same player still wearing a Braves uniform, just one level down.
