SAN DIEGO -- Héctor Neris pitched in just three Major League Spring Training games after signing a Minor League deal on March 3. Still, he was determined to be the best option in a high-leverage situation that proved destructive for the Braves in a 7-4 loss to the Padres on Thursday afternoon at Petco Park.
¡°He¡¯s ready,¡± Braves manager Brian Snitker said when asked about the veteran reliever¡¯s accelerated preparations over the past month.
It didn¡¯t necessarily look like Neris truly was ready, however. He surrendered a game-tying home run to the first batter he faced (Gavin Sheets) and exited without retiring any of the three batters he faced in San Diego¡¯s game-winning four-run seventh.
Neris¡¯ Braves debut tarnished the determined season debut constructed by 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale, who was in line for the win after Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley each homered in the first four innings to help the Braves build a lead.
¡°I think it¡¯s just the first game of the season, honestly,¡± Sale said. ¡°Anything can happen. This is a long season. I don¡¯t put too much weight in guys¡¯ Major League debuts or first games of the season because there¡¯s a lot going on. You can check it. Neris has been a badass man for a long time. So, I¡¯ll take him in any situation and in any game.¡±
Was this a sign Neris wasn¡¯t quite ready for the regular season after reporting to Spring Training late? Maybe. Was it just a bad day? Maybe. Neris did have two strikes against each batter he faced, and his four-seamer averaged 93.1 mph, which is actually a tick higher than it was in 2023, when he posted a 1.71 ERA in 71 appearances for the Astros.
But what¡¯s not disputable is that this one game has heightened concerns Braves fans have expressed all winter about the bullpen.
A.J. Minter is with the Mets, and Joe Jim¨¦nez will miss most or all of the season while recovering from knee surgery. They were two of Atlanta¡¯s top relievers last year. The bullpen reconstruction efforts primarily consisted of the economical gambles taken on veterans like 36-year-old Craig Kimbrel and the 35-year-old Neris.
If Neris wasn¡¯t the best option to protect a one-run seventh-inning lead, who was?
Enyel De Los Santos had a good Spring Training. But there¡¯s a reason two playoff teams (the Padres and Yankees) gave up on him last year before he finished the season with the White Sox. Should Snitker have called upon Daysbel Hern¨¢ndez? Hindsight says yes. But managers love experience, especially when you¡¯re deciding between one reliever with 608 career appearances and another with 20.
¡°Honestly, we don¡¯t know what the right mix is going to be yet, until we play these games,¡± Snitker said. ¡°We¡¯ve got 161 [games] left. I like where we¡¯re at. Yeah, you want to win the game today. I don¡¯t like an inning like that at any point in time during the season.¡±
Neris was great in 2023, but he was released by the Cubs after signing a $9 million deal before the 2024 season.
This wasn¡¯t the first time he was part of a significant Opening Day moment involving the Braves. He was the Phillies¡¯ closer who surrendered Nick Markakis¡¯ walk-off homer in the 2018 season opener at Truist Park.
Neris¡¯ track record indicates he could rebound and at least become a dependable middle relief option. Kimbrel has the potential to also strengthen the bullpen once he makes up for the time he lost while not signing before the final week of Spring Training. Grant Holmes could strengthen the relief corps if he¡¯s moved out of the rotation when Spencer Strider is activated within the next few weeks.
This was a tough first day for the Braves' bullpen. But the mix could look much different in a couple weeks, and Neris should definitely be ready by then.
¡°I think I can speak for everybody in this clubhouse right now, that we have not only all the confidence in the world, in this team, but specifically that bullpen,¡± Sale said.