As the Atlanta Braves continue to search for answers for their depleted pitching staff in the wake of two devastating injuries, they decided on Friday to reunited with former first rounder and top prospect, Joey Wentz.
Wentz has appeared in 25 games this season for the Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates. To make room for the lefty on the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated Kevin Herget for assignment.
The #Braves today claimed LHP Joey Wentz off waivers from the Minnesota Twins and designated RHP Kevin Herget for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 11, 2025
Why the Braves decided to reunite with former top prospect Joey Wentz
At first, this move seems like a stop gap to the starting rotation, which essentially consists of only three starters right now, Spencer Strider, Grant Holmes, and Bryce Elder.
The Braves fumbled through a bullpen game on Saturday and had to exhaust the pen on Tuesday when Didier Fuentes couldn’t make it out of the second inning.
However, Wentz hasn’t made a single start all season. The lefty, who was drafted by the Braves and was traded in 2019 for Shane Greene, has made 26 career starts, but has exclusively come out of the bullpen since last season.
The 27-year-old has been able to cover multiple innings, with his longest outing coming for the Pirates at the end of May, throwing 3.2 innings and allowing just one run.
Wentz pitched decently for Pittsburgh this season, appearing in 19 games with a 4.15 ERA, but was designated for assignment on June 7.
The twins quickly picked him up but was hammered in his six outings, allowing 14 runs in just 8 innings and was let go on Wednesday.
Overall, Wentz has pitched 34 innings with a 6.88 ERA and a 5.20 FIP. Wentz doesn’t have any exceptional pitches, has struggled with control, and doesn’t strike out batters at a high right. But for now, Atlanta needs innings and apparently the Braves believe he can provide that.
The former Braves prospect is out of options, meaning Atlanta will need to make another move to get him on the active roster.
