The Braves officially released right-hander Tyler Kinley on August 21 after designating him for assignment earlier in the week, per MLB Trade Rumors.
The move traces back to a roster crunch. Atlanta recalled AJ Smith-Shawver to run a six-man rotation, and something had to give in the bullpen. Kinley cleared waivers unclaimed before the Braves pulled the trigger on an outright release, freeing him to sign anywhere for the stretch run.
It's a rough end to what looked like a bargain re-signing. Kinley finished 2025 on a heater after Atlanta acquired him from Colorado at last year's deadline, posting a 0.72 ERA over 25 innings down the stretch. That performance was enough for the Braves to bring him back in January on a one-year, $4.25 million deal ($3 million salary plus a $1.25 million buyout on a $5.5 million 2027 club option) instead of picking up his original option.
This season didn't cooperate. Kinley posted a 4.01 ERA, but the underlying numbers told a scarier story: a 5.41 FIP, a strikeout rate that dipped to 23.5%, a walk rate that climbed to 11.2%, and 9 home runs allowed across 49 outings. Across his full run in Atlanta dating back to the trade, he'd worked 73 appearances with a 2.79 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings — solid on the surface, but the warning signs finally caught up.
Timing mattered too. The Braves are expecting setup man Robert Suarez back from the injured list soon, and his return alone eats into the bullpen innings Kinley had been soaking up. Between the six-man rotation squeezing the roster and Suarez reclaiming a high-leverage role, Atlanta simply ran out of space for a reliever whose peripherals had gone south.
Kinley, now in his ninth big-league season, becomes a free agent once his release clears. Any club that signs him would owe only the prorated league minimum, with Atlanta on the hook for the rest of his guaranteed money — a cheap flier for a contender needing bullpen depth in August. Nothing stops Atlanta from bringing him back on a minor-league deal either, but for now he's a reliever looking for a new home in the middle of a pennant race.