The Braves can finally see the full potential of their bullpen.
When veteran right-hander Shane Greene rejoined the group Sunday, it strengthened a unit that’s fallen under criticism throughout the season. Greene, 32, now becomes a key cog in the machine again.
“I’m excited to be back with the Braves and finish what we started last year,” Greene said Sunday. The right-hander spent the last 1-1/2 seasons with the Braves, producing a 3.27 ERA over 55 appearances.
Greene was one of three later-innings Braves relievers to become a free agent last winter. Mark Melancon, formerly the team’s closer, signed with the Padres. Darren O’Day departed for the Yankees. But Greene remained unsigned. He wasn’t among the players reporting to spring camps in Florida or Arizona. When opening day rolled around, Greene wasn’t in a uniform.
A brief stop in Atlanta prompted Greene to attend a game at Truist Park in early April, which sparked intrigue among fans but wasn’t related to his free agency. Almost a month later, finally, Greene and the Braves reunited. He signed a one-year deal worth around $1.2 million prorated.
It wasn’t how Greene hoped free agency would play out, but he was happy to land in a familiar situation.
“I felt like we have some unfinished business,” Greene said. Sunday. “Being a Brave was definitely at the top of my priority list. But it’s a savvy business out there. And I’m just happy to be a baseball player. We could get really deep into the logistics of the business of baseball. But I don’t think that right now is the best time.”
Greene joined Triple-A Gwinnett shortly after signing. He made four appearances for the Stripers, striking out five and allowing one run on one hit. The Braves recalled him before Sunday’s game against the Dodgers.
“The biggest thing for me coming back here was familiar faces familiar place, no transition period,” Greene said. “The day I showed up, I felt like I never left, you know. So they made it way easier to get ready. When I got here. To be honest with everybody about how I feel, and all those kinds of things. My relationships are really good. I’ve been in touch with the boys even when I was you know, sitting at home and the first month you know, I have a lot of friends on this team. So there was still text message conversations going on.”
The Braves’ hope is Greene stabilizes a bullpen that’s showed signs of promise lately. It hasn’t been consistent, but the Braves believe in the names comprising the core of their bullpen.
Along with Greene, Chris Martin, who’s looked like himself after missing over a month, gives the team another reliable righty late in games. There’s a trio of high-leverage lefties in Tyler Matzek, A.J. Minter and closer Will Smith who, despite each experiencing difficulty at times, have shown how great their upside is. Luke Jackson has had a nice bounce-back season and Josh Tomlin is the veteran innings eater.
The group entered Sunday with a 4.80 ERA, the fourth-worst mark in the bigs. Its depth was exploited earlier in the season, especially when Martin was sidelined. With key pitchers healthy and Greene back, the outlook has changed. The bullpen logged four scoreless innings in Saturday’s win. It allowed one run in three innings during Sunday’s victory.
“We spend 3-1/2 hours a day together, so we’re a tight-knit group,” Smith said. “We know what Greeney can bring to the table. Not just in the bullpen, but in the clubhouse. He’s just going to make us even better.”
In a recent conversation with The AJC, Matzek likewise praised Greene: “He’s a great human being, a great teammate. Brings a lot of excitement and energy into that bullpen. He has that veteran mentality where he calms everybody down in there. It reminds us that it’s just a baseball game, go out there and have fun and do your thing. He’s going to eat some innings for us. The man loves throwing the baseball, and he’s very good at it. So we’re more than happy to have him out there.”
