Braves bring back infielder Brett Wisely as reliever Joe Jiménez moves to 60-day injured list

Roster move adds infield depth while opening a 40-man spot during the first days of spring training

The Atlanta Braves have reacquired infielder Brett Wisely from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations and placed right-handed reliever Joe Jiménez on the 60-day injured list with a left articular cartilage injury. The transactions, completed this week as camp activity ramps up, simultaneously add a versatile position player and create immediate 40-man roster flexibility.

Wisely, 26, is a left-handed hitter who can cover multiple spots on the infield and has also logged time in the outfield. His return comes after a brief earlier stint with Atlanta late in the 2025 season and a short offseason detour that sent him to Tampa Bay. The move effectively restores organizational depth at a time when the Braves are preparing for extended early-season absences in the middle infield.

Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is expected to miss the start of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger, with an estimated recovery timeline of four to five months. With Kim sidelined into at least mid-May, Atlanta has been building contingency options for the position while also reinforcing overall infield coverage.

Wisely joins a reshaped group of utility and middle-infield candidates brought in this winter, including Kyle Farmer, Jorge Mateo and Luke Williams. Mauricio Dubón is positioned to handle shortstop duties while Kim is unavailable, and Wisely’s presence gives the club another multi-position option during spring evaluation and into the regular-season roster decision window.

The roster shuffle ties an infield-depth addition to a longer-term injured-list placement that delays Jiménez’s 2026 availability.

Jiménez’s injury status extends bullpen uncertainty into the early months

Jiménez, 30, has not appeared in a major league game since the 2024 postseason and missed the entire 2025 season while rehabbing his knee. Moving him to the 60-day injured list confirms he will not be available for Opening Day and ensures his absence will extend into at least the first two months of the regular season.

The Braves enter the spring with recent additions designed to stabilize the relief corps. The club has added Robert Suárez and brought in additional right-handed relief options including Ian Hamilton, Joel Payamps and James Karinchak, while also retaining key late-inning arms Raisel Iglesias and Tyler Kinley.

Jiménez is in the final year of a three-year contract extension he signed after joining Atlanta from Detroit. In 2024, he was a core bullpen piece, appearing in 69 games with a 2.62 ERA. The 60-day designation provides the Braves with a roster mechanism to carry additional healthy arms while continuing to monitor Jiménez’s recovery timeline.

• Transaction: Wisely acquired from Tampa Bay for cash considerations.
• Corresponding move: Jiménez placed on 60-day injured list (left articular cartilage injury).
• Context: Kim recovering from finger tendon surgery (estimated 4–5 months).

With spring training underway, the moves underscore Atlanta’s two-track roster planning: adding defensive flexibility around an injured shortstop while maintaining bullpen depth in the absence of an established late-inning reliever.