Robert

Suarez

Suarez continues to fill in admirably for Rasiel Iglesias, picking up two saves in his last three games while holding the opposing offense at bay. Suarez felt the heat a bit in this one, allowing a leadoff walk to Treat Turner and a two-out single to Adolis Garcia. A wild pitch would put both runners in scoring position, but a groundout by Brandon Marsh ended the threat and secured the win for the Braves. Suarez remains the top option to fill the Braves’ closer role as long as Iglesias is sidelined.

The 36-year-old hurler has yet to resume throwing, but the Braves have been encouraged by his progress and don’t believe that he’ll be facing an extended absence. Robert Suarez will continue to hold down the fort in the ninth inning in the meantime.

Suarez will be filling in for Raisel Iglesias for the next couple of weeks, but that just makes the eighth a little dicey for the Braves; they’ll still be just fine in the ninth. Suarez, who saved 40 games for the Padres last season, has allowed one run in 10 2/3 innings to begin the year.

It’s an encouraging update after Atlanta’s closer hit the injured list earlier on Tuesday with shoulder inflammation. It appears that Iglesias isn’t dealing with any structural issues that would’ve require a lengthy absence and possibly even surgery. The Braves are optimistic he’ll be cleared to resume throwing once the swelling subsides and there should be a clear return timetable once he resumes facing hitters. It’ll be hard-throwing veteran Robert Suarez handling the closing duties in his absence. He should be rostered in all fantasy formats until Iglesias returns.

Iglesias was surprisingly not available to close Saturday’s game, and the Braves said he slept on his arm wrong and would be fine. The veteran then returned to notch a save on Sunday night, but he walked one and gave up a hit, and didn’t look sharp. Two days later, he’s landed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. The expectation is that this won’t be a long stint on the IL, but Michael King also “slept on his arm wrong” last year and wound up missing almost three months with a nerve issue. While Iglesias is out, Robert Suarez becomes a top-five closer option in fantasy baseball and needs to be added everywhere. Hopefully the Iglesias manager already scooped him up last week when the injury first popped up.

Iglesias’s velocity was down a little, but it improved over the course of his inning; his two fastballs to Bryson Stott leading off the frame were 91.6 and 91.5 mph, while his two to Kyle Schwarber, who flew out with two out and two on, were 93.5 and 94.0 mph. It seems like he’ll be fine, but it’ll be interesting to see if he’s used on Monday. Robert Suarez, who saved Saturday’s game in Iglesias’s place before throwing a scoreless eighth tonight, would be pitching for a third straight day if he goes then.

It was Robert Suarez who came in to pitch during Saturday’s save chance against the Phillies, with Suarez doing the job with a pair of strikeouts. The good news is that this was related to Iglesias sleeping on the shoulder wrong rather than something he picked up throwing, according to Atlanta manager Walt Weiss. The 36-year-old should be considered day-to-day for now, but fantasy managers need to pay close attention to this going forward. If Suarez is still available, he’s essentially a must-add.

That Suarez didn’t come in for the eighth tonight suggested that something was up, but it was Iglesias who wasn’t apparently unavailable, not Suarez himself. Iglesias hasn’t pitched since Wednesday, so something must be wrong. We’ll probably find out soon, but those playing in leagues with Suarez available might just want to grab him now.

That explains why the 34-year-old hurler wasn’t seen around camp when pitchers and catchers reported. No word yet on how long Suarez will need to resolve the visa issue, but it won’t impact his availability for the start of the regular season. He’s expected to function in a setup capacity in front of incumbent closer Raisel Iglesias.

The deal, which is now official, includes a $1.25 million buyout, which guarantees Kinley at least $4.25 million to return to Atlanta’s high-leverage mix just a few weeks after the club declined his $5.5 million option for 2026. The 34-year-old veteran reliever finished last season with a respectable 3.96 ERA — 3.69 FIP — 1.18 WHIP and 73/33 K/BB ratio across a career-high 72 2/3 innings split between the Rockies and Braves. He’ll help bridge the gap to Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias along with new high-priced setup man Robert Suarez.