Busy Braves ink reliever Thornburg to one-year deal

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Taking care of yet another hometown kid, the Braves will give Tyler Thornburg a chance to prove he can still be a competitive big league reliever, signing him to a non-guaranteed one-year, $900,000 MLB deal on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old missed the 2021 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He has totaled just 49 2/3 innings since his career-best 2016 season.

To create a spot on the 40-man roster, the Braves transferred right-hander Kirby Yates to the 60-day injured list. Yates is recovering from Tommy John surgery and likely won’t be available until after the All-Star break.

The Braves acquired first baseman Matt Olson from the A’s on Monday and signed right-handed reliever Collin McHugh on Tuesday. Olson and McHugh both attended high schools in Lilburn, a northeast suburb of Atlanta.

Thornburg, who attended Sandy Springs’ Riverwood High School, approximately three miles from Truist Park, will attempt to resuscitate his career with his hometown team.

Everything seemed to be going well for Thornburg when he posted a 2.15 ERA over 67 innings for the 2016 Brewers, but he missed the entire 2017 season after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. He underwent surgery and didn’t pitch in the Majors again until the Red Sox added him to their roster on July 4, 2018.

Thornburg posted a 6.54 ERA over 42 2/3 innings for the Red Sox from 2018-19. He made seven appearances for the Reds in 2020 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Closer Will Smth, Tyler Matzek, Luke Jackson, A.J. Minter and McHugh are the top five candidates for what will likely be an eight-man bullpen. Darren O’Day will grab one of those additional spots if he is healthy. Sean Newcomb’s candidacy is strengthened by the fact he is out of options.

Thornburg, Jacob Webb, Jay Jackson, Touki Toussaint and Huascar Ynoa are among the others who could be considered for a bullpen spot.