Atlanta Braves’ Walt Weiss Offers Reassuring Robert Suarez Message

The Atlanta Braves invested heavily into their bullpen this past offseason. Not only did they re-sign closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year deal, but they also pried away right-hander Robert Suarez from the San Diego Padres on a three-year, $45 million contract. 

Having two of the game's most accomplished closers was a recipe for success, and through the first few months of the regular season it played out exactly that way.  

Suarez, who served as San Diego's closer, transitioned effortlessly into a setup role in Atlanta. 

In his first 31 appearances this year, the 35-year-old veteran pitched 32 innings, allowed just two earned runs and six walks, struck out 26 hitters and collected four wins along with four saves. He was everything the Braves hoped for when they signed him. 

Then, an injury hit. Back in late June, Suarez was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow and forearm inflammation.  

In his absence, right-hander Didier Fuentes has emerged as the primary setup man, but given Fuentes is just 21 years old and still in his first full big-league season, the Braves would certainly like Suarez back in the mix as October approaches. 

When Suarez first went down, the initial prognosis was relatively encouraging. An MRI revealed no structural damage or ligament tears, leading many to believe his absence would be brief.  

However, Suarez has still not resumed throwing and remains far from returning, which is concerning with just two months left in the regular season. Braves manager Walt Weiss addressed the situation after a loss against the New York Mets, offering a message that Suarez is still expected back this year. 

"I was hoping he'd be back by now. It's taken longer than we all thought, but we still feel like he's going to be a big part of this thing. It's just taken longer than anticipated," Weiss said, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. 

Since Suarez is a reliever rather than a starter, his ramp-up time upon returning should be considerably shorter than it would be for a starting pitcher. Once he resumes throwing, a brief rehab assignment may be all he needs to shake off the rust before rejoining the big-league club.  

However, Weiss also confirmed that Suarez has not yet progressed to the point of throwing a bullpen session, meaning the timeline is murkier than the optimistic framing of his comments might suggest.  

There is still a meaningful amount of work to do before Atlanta can realistically pencil him back into a high-leverage role, and with just two months remaining in the regular season, every week that passes without progress makes his return feel a little less certain.