With as much player movement as there is in baseball, it isn't unusual for a fan base's beloved player to eventually end up with a hated foe. Major League Baseball is a business, at the end of the day, and players will often sign with whichever team offers them the best chance of success, even if it takes joining a rival team to do so.
Philadelphia Phillies fans have seen their fair share of players leave the City of Brotherly Love in favor of another NL East destination. One of the more recent examples came in March when former Phillies reliever Craig Kimbrel joined the rival Atlanta Braves on a minor-league contract after spending the 2024 campaign with the Baltimore Orioles.
Kimbrel has yet to pitch an inning for the Braves in 2025; however, that's likely to change soon after Thursday.
Braves Promote Former Phillies RHP Craig Kimbrel After Collapse vs. Diamondbacks
The Braves' bullpen has left much to be desired throughout the 2025 season, and those woes hit an all-time low on Thursday afternoon. Despite being up 6-0 after the third inning, the Braves couldn't hold on as they fell 11-10 to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Truist Park. Following the massive collapse, Atlanta didn't waste time making a big pitching move.
"In the wake of today’s ninth-inning collapse, the Braves are summoning Craig Kimbrel from Triple-A," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported.
Assuming he sticks with the big-league club, Kimbrel's eventual debut will mark his first MLB appearance since he allowed six earned runs on 34 pitches as a Baltimore Oriole in a 10-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 17, 2024. He's since spent the 2025 season with Triple-A Gwinnett, going 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA, three saves, and 17 strikeouts across 14 2/3 innings.
As great as he's looked in the minors, it remains to be seen if the ex-Phillies reliever still has 'it' at the MLB level. Kimbrel finished his Orioles stint with a putrid 5.33 ERA in 57 relief appearances, which also includes averaging 1.2 home runs and 5.3 walks per nine innings — both noticeably above his career averages of 0.8 and 3.8, respectively.
Still, it isn't as if Kimbrel is completely washed. He's averaged at least 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings in back-to-back seasons, which is the type of pitching the Braves need, considering that their bullpen has recorded the 12th-fewest strikeouts in the Majors this season.
The Phillies are set to welcome the Braves to Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series at the end of the month, leaving time to tell if Kimbrel will still be with the NL East rival by then or not.