Braves Make Surprising Pitching Shakeup Right Before Pirates Series

In a strategic roster shake-up, the Atlanta Braves release veteran pitcher Daysbel Hernandez to make way for fresh talent ahead of their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Braves kept the roster churn moving ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Pirates, and the biggest move was the decision to move on from MLB veteran Daysbel Hernández.

Atlanta had already come out of a four-game split with the Mets, and the next round of transactions arrived before the new series even got going. Owen Murphy, who made his MLB debut on Monday night, was optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday after a brief stay with the big league club.

The official announcement also brought a few other changes. The Braves selected left-hander Connor Thomas to the major league roster, recalled right-hander James Karinchak, and placed right-hander Tyler Kinley on the paternity list.

“The #Braves today selected LHP Connor Thomas to the major league roster and optioned RHP Owen Murphy to Triple-A Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club released RHP Daysbel Hernández. Atlanta also recalled RHP James Karinchak and placed RHP Tyler Kinley on the paternity list.”

That leaves Kinley out of action for at least a short stretch, while Karinchak is back in the majors and Thomas is now in the mix. The notable departure is Hernández, who had logged 58.2 innings for Atlanta across the past three MLB seasons and posted a 3.38 ERA in that span.

In 2025, Hernández worked 37 innings for the Braves and finished with a 3.41 ERA, but an injury sidelined him for much of the season. He had not appeared in MLB this year, and Atlanta ultimately cleared the roster spot by releasing him.

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