Anthony

Molina

The 23-year-old hurler had been designated for assignment earlier in the week but passed through waivers unclaimed this time around. He should get an opportunity in the spring to compete for a spot in the Braves’ Opening Day bullpen.

Molina is one of two new Atlanta hurlers, as the team also snatched Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Athletics. Molina is only 23, and while he has not had any real success at the highest level, he’ll get a chance to prove he’s more than organizational depth this spring — assuming he sticks on the 40-man roster, of course.

Molina held the Blue Jays scoreless through two innings before Nathan Lukes took him deep for a solo homer in the third. Daulton Varsho then tagged him for a two-run homer in the fourth. The barrage continued in the fifth with three more home runs, including another two-run shot by Varsho. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out two. He’s tentatively lined up for a start against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Monday.

Molina is not a recommended fantasy option when he takes the ball for Tuesday’s contest against the Blue Jays at high-octane Coors Field. The 23-year-old holds a bloated 6.85 ERA over 68 1/3 innings (40 appearances, one start) in the big leagues since the start of last season.

Molina will start on Tuesday night against the Blue Jays with Kyle Freeland being pushed back to Wednesday as he continues to recover from an illness. The 23-year-old can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats for now.

Molina will head back to Triple-A to make room for Kyle Freeland, with Freeland coming off the injured list to start Friday against the Brewers. Molina will likely be back as a depth option in the Colorado bullpen before the season concludes.

Molina, 23, is up for the second time this season after throwing a scoreless inning of relief in his previous stint. The right-hander will take the roster spot of Carson Palmquist, who was optioned to Triple-A after Thursday’s start.

The 23-year-old hurler appeared in one game during his brief stay with the Rockies, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work. Given the Rockies’ constant need for quality bullpen arms, you’d have to expect that Molina will get another opportunity sooner rather than later.

Molina returns to the big leagues for Sunday’s game against the Padres to provide Colorado with a fresh bullpen arm. The 23-year-old righty made 35 appearances last year for the Rockies in his first taste of the big leagues.

Molina is probably the biggest surprise of the group, as the 23-year-old hurler made 35 appearances out of the Rockies’ bullpen during his rookie campaign in 2024 — posting a 6.79 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and a 41/22 K/BB ratio across 59 2/3 innings. He struggled in his two Cactus League outings, giving up four runs in his three innings of work (12.00 ERA) with an untenable 2.33 WHIP. He should get an opportunity to work out of the Rockies’ bullpen at some point in 2025.