Braves Send Rule 5 Draft Pick Back to Marlins, Release Lefty

The Atlanta Braves cut down the Spring Training staff further and brought more clarity to the bullpen situation ahead of the regular season

Harrison Smajovits | Mar 19, 2025

Two pitchers have been cut from the Braves / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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The Atlanta Braves cut down their roster by another member on Wednesday. According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and confirmed by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s Justin Coscano, the Braves are sending Rule 5 draft pick Anderson Pilar back to the Miami Marlins.

Along with this move, the Braves have released lefty Jake Diekman, according to their transaction page.

It had been a rough Spring Training for Pilar. He made six appearances, pitching 5 2/3 innings. He allowed nine earned runs on 10 hits and six walks. He gave up at least one run in three of his outings with one of those outings seeing him allow seven of those nine earned runs. He hasn’t made an appearance since March 13.

That last outing saw him throw 54 pitches just to get through an inning of work to open the game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Braves selected him alongside shortstop Christian Cairo in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 11. Cairo is still with the team as of the publishing of this story.

The 26-year-old Pilar split the 2024 season across three levels of the Marlins minor-league system: High-A Beloit, Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville. In 37 combined appearances, he had a 2.64 ERA with a 1.101 WHIP across all levels. He also had 71 strikeouts to 13 walks.

Diekman had a 4.91 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP in seven appearances during Spring Training. He was brought on via a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.

These moves come the day after the Braves brought back closer Craig Kimbrel on a minor-league deal and two days after they flipped let-hander Angel Perdomo to the Angels for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

Kimbrel, at the very least, replaces Pilar as a right-handed option in the system. However, he still has to earn a stop on the 40-man roster too. This move likely solidified that Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer will be the only two lefties in the bullpen to start the season.