Braves DFA Former Yankees Reliever After Just One Appearance
Right-hander Didier Fuentes has been recalled from Gwinnett in a corresponding move and will start Wednesday night's game against the Nationals.
Hamilton made only one appearance with Atlanta before being let go. He allowed three runs in a single inning of work, and that was enough.
Hamilton will now be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days.
Hamilton's Brief and Bumpy Tenure
The 30-year-old Hamilton signed a minor league deal with the Braves in December and pitched well in Gwinnett to earn his call-up, posting a 2.65 ERA across eight frames before Atlanta selected his contract last week.
He was brought up specifically to replace Osvaldo Bido, who had been designated for assignment after walking five batters and racking up four wild pitches across ten innings with a 6.30 ERA.
Hamilton was supposed to be the steadier option.
That did not materialize.
The #Braves today recalled RHP Didier Fuentes to Atlanta and designated RHP Ian Hamilton for assignment. Fuentes will start tonight’s game.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 22, 2026
His velocity was also a concern in his lone outing, with his sinker dropping noticeably from the 96 mph he averaged in New York to 94.4 mph in his only Braves appearance.
The 11.3 percent walk rate that has followed him throughout his career remained a nagging issue, and Atlanta chose not to wait for him to settle in.
Over his career, Hamilton has pitched 151.1 major league innings between the White Sox, Twins, Yankees, and now briefly the Braves, working to a 3.75 ERA overall.
That number is heavily influenced by a standout 2023 campaign in which he posted a 2.64 ERA across 58 innings with the Yankees.
Since that season, he has a 4.35 ERA in 78.2 frames, with the underlying metrics suggesting a reliever who misses enough bats and keeps the ball on the ground but cannot consistently avoid walks and free passes.
Why Fuentes Is the More Exciting Story
Fuentes turns 21 in mid-June and is one of the more intriguing young arms in the Atlanta system.
He struggled in a four-start cup of coffee last summer at the big league level, but came out of spring training looking sharper and has dominated in Gwinnett to start this year, posting a 2.16 ERA with a strikeout rate north of 30 percent across 16 and two-thirds innings.
He is stepping directly into a starting role, which tells you everything about what Atlanta thinks of both his current form and the urgency of their rotation situation.
Spencer Strider is on a minor league rehab assignment and progressing well. Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, and AJ Smith-Shawver are all working through their own rehab timelines.
The Braves are somehow holding an improbable division lead despite losing half their rotation to injury, and that lead will only get more sustainable when those arms return.
In the meantime, they are betting on a 20-year-old instead of waiting on a veteran who already used up his one chance.
Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
