The Braves are selecting the contract of right-hander Elieser Hernández, according to a team announcement. The club has an open spot on its 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is needed there. To make space on the active roster, fellow righty Owen Murphy is being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Hernández, 31, joined the Braves on a minor league deal back in November. He spent most of 2025 with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization, for whom he posted a 4.23 ERA across 14 starts. Hernández’s 26.4% strikeout rate was above average, ranking 12th in that league among pitchers with at least 50 innings. However, the middling run prevention led the Twins to cut him loose in August. Hernández signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays that month but posted a 7.91 ERA in 19 1/3 innings at Triple-A before electing free agency after the season and eventually joining Atlanta.
Hernández has been better this year than he was with the Blue Jays’ top affiliate, but a notch below his output in the KBO. In 76 1/3 innings for Gwinnett, he has a decent 21.6% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate, but also a 4.83 ERA. Hernández started most of his appearances through the first two months but has worked out of the bullpen in all but one appearance since June 9th. Those results – a 4.02 ERA in 15 2/3 innings – have been better but not drastically so.
More to come.
