Braves Get Good News With Kirby Yates Injury Update

The Atlanta Braves signed Kirby Yates to a two-year deal back in November with hopes that he could be a high-leverage bullpen piece. His recovery from Tommy John surgery has dipped into the regular season as expected, but signs point to the veteran reliever making his debut in the coming weeks.

Kirby Yates Injury Update

While Yates has already been completing bullpen sessions at the Braves' spring training complex, he is poised to take the next step in his recovery. The 35-year-old will set out on a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday. It hasn't been confirmed as to what organizational affiliate he will join yet.

It's safe to say that the Yates will need multiple appearances to adjust to facing live hitters again. He hasn't pitched in the majors since 2020, when he posted a dismal 12.46 ERA across six appearances for the San Diego Padres. Atlanta is anticipating he can return the form he showed in a 2019 All-Star campaign.

Adding Yates to the late-inning mix could be scary considering the Braves own the best bullpen ERA in the NL (3.06). Yates owns a career 4.26 walk to strikeout ratio and averages an impressive 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Facing a hurler that with pristine command is a hitter's worst nightmare.

For now, Atlanta will try their best to catch the New York Mets in the NL East division. The Braves currently sit 2.5 games back with a 53-37 record and have odds set at +850 to win the World Series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.