The Atlanta Braves announced a surprising injury update Tuesday, placing closer Raisel Iglesias on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, the team announced in a social media post. The move comes as a surprise one day after the 36-year-old right-hander made an appearance Sunday, because at the time manager Walt Weiss characterized Iglesias’ injury only as discomfort from sleeping on his shoulder in an incorrect position, making the problem seem relatively minor.
Left-hander Dylan Dodd was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Iglesias’ spot on the active roster. The IL placement was backdated to April 20, meaning Iglesias will miss at least two weeks of action.
Iglesias re-signed with Atlanta on a one-year, $16 million deal this past offseason and had been dominant to open the season, holding opponents scoreless on five hits with an 11-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 8 2/3 innings with five saves in eight appearances.
Iglesias now has 258 saves in his career, placing him fourth among all active relievers, and 37th on the all-time list.
GettyReliever Robert Suarez appears next in line for the Atlanta Braves’ closer role following a surprising update on closer Raisel Iglesias.
Raisel Iglesias’ Velocity Decline Raised Red Flags
The shoulder trouble may not have come entirely out of nowhere. Iglesias sat 94.8 mph with his four-seamer in 2025 and held close to that mark through his first several outings of 2026. But his fastball reached just 95 mph in an April 14 outing before declining to 94 mph the next day — and dipping to 93 mph in his last outing, according to an MLB Trade Rumors account, a quick fade that now looks important.
Braves manager Walt Weiss acknowledged over the weekend that Iglesias was unavailable for one game because he had slept on his shoulder wrong, according to a report by MLB.com‘s Mark Bowman. Weiss said Iglesias might continue to pitch, and he did. The Cuban-born closer tossed an inning Sunday to close out a sweep of the faltering Philadelphia Phillies. The shoulder did not recover as the Braves expected, leading to the IL designation for Iglesias.
Over his career, Iglesias has been remarkably durable as a Brave. Since arriving in a 2022 trade deadline deal with the Los Angeles Angels, he has hit the injured list just once. That was due to a shoulder issue that cost him the first weeks of the 2023 season before he returned to appear in 58 games. His career numbers with Atlanta tell the story: a 2.26 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across 227.1 innings over five seasons with the club.
Atlanta Braves Turn to Robert Suarez With Iglesias Shelved
The Braves are not without a capable replacement. Robert Suarez, who signed with Atlanta this winter on a three-year, $45 million contract, is more than accustomed to the closer’s job. The former San Diego Padres fireballer accumulated 77 saves and 20 holds with a 2.91 ERA over four seasons in San Diego.
He picked up the save Saturday night when Iglesias was unavailable and has allowed just one run in 9 2/3 innings this season, according to House That Hank Built‘s Mitchell Barbee.
The Braves’ bullpen depth provides even more of a soft landing after the Iglesias injury. Dylan Lee and Tyler Kinley each carry sub-1.00 ERAs to start 2026, and the trio of Suarez, Lee and Kinley has combined for nearly 30 innings of work. Atlanta will need that depth during the Iglesias absence, one the club hopes will stay on the short end. Weiss is expected to further address Iglesias’ status before Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals in Washington, D.C.
Atlanta Braves Announce Surprising Raisel Iglesias Update Before Nationals Game