Braves' Joe Jiménez Underwent Knee Surgery, Will Miss Most of 2025

The Atlanta Braves will lose their strong setup man for most if not all of the 2025 season

It's the offseason, and the Braves are already losing key players long term / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Even in the offseason, the Atlanta Braves can’t escape the injury bug. It’s been reported that setup man Joe Jiménez had surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee. The procedure was done last week but was just reported on Monday night. 

He will be out for eight to 12 months. At best, he will miss most of the 2025 season and miss it entirely at the worst. 

#Braves with another big injury setback even in offseason: setup man Joe Jiménez had surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee Oct. 29 and will miss 8-12 months, meaning at least a large portion of the 2025 season.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 5, 2024

The origin of the damage was not reported apart from that it happened during the season, but it was said that the extent of the damage was revealed during the procedure. 

Joe Jiménez injured his left knee during the season. No one knew the extent of the damage until Dr. Brian Cole performed surgery on the knee.

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) November 5, 2024

Been a while since I've been able to say the following: You can't make this up.

Jiménez had a career year with the Braves in 2024. In 69 games, he had a 2.62 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and 82 strikeouts. He had a dominant finish to the season with a 1.98 ERA and a .123 opponent’s average during September. 

He had been one of the prime examples of how the Braves have the magic touch with revitalizing veteran arms. During his six seasons with the Detroit Tigers, he had a 5.24 ERA compared to a 2.84 ERA with the Braves. 

Fortunately for the Braves, they have the options to absorb the blow of losing Jiménez for the season. 

While he had been used as an emergency spot starter for a good chunk of the season, Grant Holmes showed he could be an effective bullpen arm. His 3.12 ERA out of the bullpen was better than his 4.01 ERA as a starter. 

They can also utilize Daysbel Hernandez for more of the season. He had a 2.50 ERA in 16 appearances. 

This injury could also encourage the Braves to re-sign A.J. Minter, who is set to be a free agent this winter. He had his own injury bouts in 2024 but made 60 or more appearances out of the bullpen the previous three seasons before that.