Didier Fuentes makes Braves as bullpen arm to start season
NORTH PORT, Fla. — The Braves’ belief in Didier Fuentes is unwavering.
Fuentes will be part of the 26-man roster when the season begins Friday. The 20-year-old Colombian pitcher will be used out of the bullpen while the Braves play 13 games in 13 days to start the campaign.
“He’s gonna protect us that first 13 days. That’s a really tough schedule to start the year with, but we’ll deal with it,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “And Fuentes, he’s not quite built up enough. He needs to get more built up, but he can protect us in those first 13 days because our bullpen is what’s going to feel the brunt of it those 13 straight days. He’s going to be in a position to be able to protect us, because he can go for maybe five innings.”
Fuentes unceremoniously made his MLB debut in 2025, thrust into the cauldron in late June. He made four starts and was roughed up to the tune of 23 earned runs allowed over 13 innings.
The Braves sent Fuentes back to Triple-A Gwinnett in mid-July before he was shut down in early August with shoulder soreness. His determination to return to the Braves never wavered.
“I’ll tell you, it was a lot of sacrifice,” Fuentes said, through team interpreter Franco García, Sunday morning at CoolToday Park. “Obviously, my offseason began once I got hurt, and to spend the entire offseason here, not at home — I must have been here until the 19th or 20th of December. I think most everyone gets to go home and be at their home during the offseason.
“So it was a lot of sacrifice for me personally, and it was all worth it now, seeing where we are and how things have shaken out. Now it’s just time to shift the focus and give everything we got to the big-league squad.”
Fuentes has been nothing short of nasty during his Grapefruit League appearances. He has worked through nine innings, struck out 17 hitters and hasn’t allowed a hit or a walk. His third pitch March 7 hit Orioles third baseman Colin Yeaman, but Fuentes has been perfect since.
On Wednesday against the Phillies, Fuentes struck out eight hitters over four innings and 34 of his 50 pitches were strikes. He got eight whiffs and his fastball touched 98 mph.
That fastball is what elicits oohs and ahhs when Fuentes is on the mound. The improved control and speed of the slider may be what elevates his game moving forward. It has been coming in at 87 mph this month and has induced nine misses out of 14 swings.
Fuentes is scheduled to throw in a minor league game Monday on the back fields at CoolToday Park before packing his bags and heading north with the rest of the Braves on Tuesday.
Since he only threw 50 pitches Wednesday against the Phillies, he’s not ready to start an MLB game. Thus, Weiss said after the season’s first two weeks, Fuentes could return to Triple-A to continue to stretch out and build his arm strength.
Fuentes was asked what role he preferred and said, “Doesn’t matter. As long as I’m there, that’s all that matters.” It was a wise answer from the organization’s No. 3 prospect, who is a year stronger both physically and mentally.
“It’s no secret that I didn’t adapt very well during my stint in the big leagues last year. But I think that the experience that I gained is very helpful,” Fuentes added. “There are a lot of concepts that I took from the short time there that helped me even when I went back down to the minor leagues, and it helped me sort of reevaluate, like, ‘Hey, this is how it is here. It’s a lot harder in the big leagues.’
“Through all that, I just feel a little bit more mature and just carrying a little bit more of experience going into this season.”
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