The Atlanta Braves announced on Friday that they placed left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer on the major-league bereavement list and recalled right-hander Zach Thompson from the minors in a corresponding move. Bummer will most likely miss the entire three-game series in St. Louis against the Cardinals, but he should be able to rejoin the team next week for their series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 31-year-old southpaw has gotten off to a bumpy start in 2025 in his second year with the team, allowing three earned runs on five hits while walking four and striking out two in five innings out of Atlanta's bullpen. Thompson, 31, will give the Braves an extra arm in their bullpen this weekend at Busch Stadium. He has not appeared in a major-league game since 2022 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he had a 5.18 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 29 outings (22 starts) over 121 2/3 innings.
Braves May Lean On Aaron Bummer More In High-Leverage Situations
The Athletic's David O'Brien suggests that the Atlanta Braves will need left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer more in high-leverage situations in 2025 with A.J. Minter gone to the division-rival New York Mets in free agency. Bummer had 69 strikeouts and 18 walks in 55 1/3 innings in his first year with Atlanta in 2024, and his 33.1 percent hard-hit rate was a career-best. However, his .277 opponents' average was almost 40 points higher than in 2023, and his 58.1 percent ground-ball rate was his lowest since his rookie campaign in 2017 with the Chicago White Sox. He's due to make $3.5 million this year after signing a new two-year, $13 million contract with the Braves last November. Overall, Bummer had a 3.58 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 2024 in 55 1/3 innings pitched.
Braves To Pick Up Options On Travis d'Arnaud, Aaron Bummer
Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said that the team is planning to exercise their 2025 club options for catcher Travis d'Arnaud ($8 million) and left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer ($7.25 million). d'Arnaud saw much more playing time than expected in 2024, even when Sean Murphy was healthy. He was the better offensive backstop of the two also, hitting .238/.302/.436 with a .739 OPS, 15 home runs, 48 RBI and 40 runs scored in 99 regular-season games for Atlanta. The 35-year-old veteran should be expected to split duties at catcher with Murphy again in 2025. Bummer, 31, could be Atlanta's primary late-inning left-hander in 2025. In his first year with the Braves in 2024, he went 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings over his 56 appearances out of the bullpen.
The Atlanta Braves acquired left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer from the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night in exchange for right-hander Michael Soroka, left-hander Jared Shuster, infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake and minor-league right-hander Riley Gowens. Bummer, 30, went 5-5 with a 6.79 ERA (3.58 FIP) and 1.53 WHIP with 36 walks and a career-high 78 strikeouts in 58 1/3 relief innings. He was definitely inconsistent for the White Sox in his sixth MLB season, but he served in a late-inning, high-leverage role and was better in the second half. On a much better team in 2024, Bummer could be very valuable for holds and after recording 12 strikeouts per nine innings last year. His barrel percentage of 2.7 ranked in the 99th percentile among all pitchers.
Chicago White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer had another tough outing during Sunday's 8-4 loss against the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed two hits and a pair of walks without recording an out, giving up three earned runs en route to his first loss of the season. Bummer owns an 8.44 ERA with a 2.06 WHIP, 22.2% strikeout rate, and an incredible 18.5% walk rate over 5.1 innings so far this year. Coming into the season, the right-hander was in line to pick up double-digit holds, but with his struggles on the mound, fantasy managers can drop him in every league.
Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Aaron Bummer (lat) threw his first bullpen session on Thursday at normal effort. Bummer said he'll have to see how he recovers on Friday, but the session went off as planned and he's feeling good. The 29-year-old left-hander entered spring training with some soreness in his left lat, so the White Sox took it easy with him. There remains a chance that Bummer could be ready for Opening Day, where he'd be in the saves picture in a committee approach with Liam Hendriks dealing with cancer. Bummer tossed only 26 2/3 innings for the Pale Hose in 2022 because of injuries, but he had a 2.36 ERA and two saves when he was healthy. He's only worth a flier for those speculating on saves in deeper leagues because of his extensive injury history.
Chicago White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer (shoulder) is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Bummer arrived at White Sox camp with soreness in his left shoulder and lat area. Bummer was limited to just 32 appearances in 2022 due to similar shoulder soreness. He is on track for a healthy 2023 campaign, which should turn some heads in the fantasy world. The 29-year-old is revered as one of the most potent arms out of the White Sox's bullpen and is mainly a flier in leagues that account for holds. In 2022, Bummer posted a 2.36 ERA (3.19 FIP) with a 1.50 WHIP across 26 2/3 innings. His 25.6% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate were both drop-offs from 2021, but they could increase with a healthy season. The 29-year-old is expecting to receive a heavy workload in 2023 and is one of the anchoring components of the Sox's bullpen.
The Chicago White Sox placed relief pitcher Aaron Bummer (lat) on the 15-day injured list on Sunday. The move is retroactive to June 9. The 28-year-old is hampered by a left lat strain. This is his second trip to the injured list this year as he missed a few weeks in May due to a right knee strain. The southpaw has been one of the team's primary setup men this year, racking up nine holds while pitching to a 3.06 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. The team hasn't released any specifics in regards to the severity of his injury, but we should have a better idea of his timeline soon.
Chicago White Sox pitcher Aaron Bummer allowed two hits while striking out three over a scoreless inning to earn the save during Saturday's 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. Chicago's primary closer Liam Hendriks was unavailable after throwing 33 pitches in Friday's loss to the Tigers. Bummer yielded back-to-back hits but settled down and struck out the side to record his first save of the season. The 28-year-old owns a 10.80 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, and five strikeouts over two appearances in 2021. Bummer is one of Chicago's primary setup man to star closer Liam Hendriks and mainly holds fantasy value in league formats that reward saves and holds.
The Chicago White Sox activated relief pitcher Aaron Bummer (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list and recalled right-hander Reynaldo Lopez from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. In corresponding moves, relievers Jace Fry and Matt Foster were optioned to Charlotte. Bummer has been out all month with a strained hamstring, but he'll return to a late-inning setup role and a decent 3.26 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and two saves in 30 1/3 innings. If closer Liam Hendriks were to miss time with an injury, Bummer might be the top choice in Chicago to take over the ninth inning. Lopez had a rough 7.62 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in 39 innings over 10 starts for Charlotte, but he did have an 11.5 K/9. He'll likely serve in a relief role in the major leagues this time around, making him one to avoid in fantasy.
Aaron Bummer
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Braves
