Danny Young’s return barely made a ripple, but it may end up mattering a lot for the Braves.
Atlanta’s bullpen has been the steadiest part of a 2026 season that has had plenty of ups and downs. With an All-Star closer, a handful of nasty late-inning arms and enough depth to get by, the group has carried a heavy load all year. But the cracks showed over the last week: Raisel Iglesias blew a save on Monday night, Dylan Lee has had a couple of shaky outings, and rookie Didier Fuentes is, figuratively, limping toward the break.
That’s where Young enters the picture.
His first few appearances this season have been encouraging, even if the sample is tiny. Through his opening work in 2026, Young owns a .201 xwOBA, 1.76 xERA and 2.51 xFIP. If he keeps missing bats or getting ground balls, he should hold onto a bullpen spot in Atlanta.
The look of his stuff helps explain why. Young works from a 14° arm angle that makes life uncomfortable for hitters, especially lefties. He leans almost entirely on a sinker-sweeper mix, and both pitches are coming in a little harder than his career averages - 93.2 mph on the sinker and 82.8 mph on the sweeper.
When the Braves signed Young to a split contract in December, he was easy to overlook because he was coming back from injury. But once Aaron Bummer struggled, the need for another dependable left-hander became obvious. Dylan Dodd has handled that job well so far, but the back end of Atlanta’s bullpen has been in flux for much of the season.
Young’s return on July 3 may be the move that finally helps settle it down.
Starting pitching help has been the bigger conversation in Braves Country, but Young could be the piece that rounds out Walt Weiss’ bullpen. If he keeps performing, Weiss can shift some of the mid- and high-leverage work against left-handed hitters away from Lee and also protect Fuentes’ workload, which the team is clearly trying to manage.
Just as important, a reliable Young gives Weiss another option in games that are still tight. Braves fans would probably rather see Young in a game Atlanta is down by two than veteran Carlos Carrasco. If Young builds on this start, he could give the bullpen one more weapon it badly needs.
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