**The Atlanta Braves spent the entire month of June without one of their top bullpen pitchers. Despite this, their bullpen rose to the challenge, achieving the fourth-best bullpen ERA for the month. They faced significant strain due to limited rest days and doubleheaders. Fortunately, the team announced on Monday that A.J. Minter has been activated from the Injured List. His return not only adds a fresh arm to the bullpen but also a highly effective one.**
**To accommodate Minter on the active roster, the Braves reassigned Daysbel Hernandez, one of Saturday’s standout players, back to Gwinnett.**
**Impact of A.J. Minter’s Return on the Braves’ Bullpen:**
**Before his hip injury, Minter had a peculiar season. Although his 2.95 ERA was consistent with expectations, his strikeout rate had slightly decreased, and he was giving up more home runs.**
**In 2019, Minter’s highest home run rate was 0.92 per nine innings. This season, it had increased to 2.11. His struggles were most evident in the 9th inning, where he had a 13.50 ERA across five outings, compared to his 2.37 ERA in other innings. These issues might have been worsened by his hip injury, as his performance in May, including his control, was unusually poor.**
**The Braves took a cautious approach to Minter’s return, allowing him two weeks to recover and two weeks for rehab. During his rehab assignment, the 30-year-old allowed just one run in three innings.**
**With Minter now healthy, manager Brian Snitker has three reliable setup men to distribute the bullpen’s workload. This will provide more rest for relievers Pierce Johnson, Aaron Bummer, Joe Jimenez, and Raisel Iglesias, who each pitched in 10 games in June.**
**Although Daysbel Hernandez was sent down due to the roster adjustment, he remains a strong candidate for recall if the Braves need another reliever. The 27-year-old has not allowed a run in 9.2 innings and boasts a 1.61 FIP.
