McHugh announced his retirement from professional baseball Monday.
McHugh, 36, made the announcement on his Instagram account. The right-hander pitched for parts of 11 seasons in the big leagues, finishing with a career 3.72 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with a 967:280 K:BB over 992.2 innings. McHugh finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2014 and eighth in the AL Cy Young voting in 2015.
Atlanta declined McHugh's (shoulder) $6 million option for 2024.
The club will pay him a $1 million buyout instead. McHugh had some uncharacteristic struggles in 2023, holding a 4.30 ERA and 47:22 K:BB over 58.2 innings. He also ended the season on the injured list with a shoulder issue. Still, with a 2.09 ERA and 149:26 K:BB over 133.1 frames from 2021-22, McHugh should have plenty of suitors.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Set for rehab assignment
Rotowire
McHugh (shoulder) is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett.
McHugh should be able to return to Atlanta's bullpen by the end of the week, following maybe one or two appearances on the farm. The 36-year-old multi-inning reliever was placed on the 15-day injured list Sept. 6 due to right shoulder inflammation.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Placed on IL
Rotowire
McHugh was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right shoulder inflammation.
It's the same injury that landed McHugh on the IL back in April. McHugh will be eligible to return later this month, but at this juncture there is no timetable for his potential return to Atlanta's bullpen.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Perfect in third win
Rotowire
McHugh (3-0) picked up the win in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Tigers, striking out four batters over three perfect innings of relief.
Getting the call in the fifth inning with the score tied 5-5, McHugh completely shut down Detroit's offense over 44 pitches (29 strikes) before handing things off to Atlanta's late-inning crew, and the veteran right-hander was rewarded when his team took the lead in the sixth. It's the fourth time this season McHugh has worked two innings or more but the first time he's thrown more than 40 pitches since May 14, and the 35-year-old got four days of rest after that performance. Expect Michael Tonkin to handle any long-relief duties that might arise for Atlanta over the next few days. McHugh's 2.79 ERA through 29 innings on the season is solid, but it comes with a 1.55 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Will open Sunday vs. Toronto
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McHugh will start Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.
McHugh hasn't covered more than three innings or 41 pitches in any of his prior nine relief appearances this season, so he likely won't push too far past those limits as he makes his first start since 2021. Depending on how he fares Sunday, Atlanta could have McHugh get stretched out for a permanent spot in the rotation, given that all of Max Fried (forearm), Kyle Wright (shoulder), Kolby Allard (oblique), Huascar Ynoa (elbow) and Ian Anderson (elbow) are on the shelf with long-term injuries.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Activated from injured list
Rotowire
McHugh was activated from the 15-day injured list by Atlanta on Tuesday.
McHugh has been out since early April with right shoulder inflammation but felt fine during a couple scoreless rehab appearances. He'll slide back into a setup role for Atlanta.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Set to return Tuesday
Rotowire
Atlanta is expected to reinstate McHugh (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
An activation ahead of Monday's series opener with the Marlins had previously been considered, but McHugh will get an extra day to rest up after he stretched out to three innings in his most recent rehab outing Friday with High-A Rome. McHugh, who posted a 2.60 ERA over 58 appearances with Atlanta in 2022 and was off to a strong start to the 2023 campaign before landing on the IL with shoulder inflammation, should settle back into a versatile setup role for the big club once activated.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Expected to be activated
Rotowire
McHugh (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list Monday, MLB.com reports.
McHugh made a three-inning rehab appearance with High-A Rome this past Friday and has bounced back with no issues. He's been out since early April with right shoulder soreness but is ready to rejoin Atlanta's bullpen.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Likely to return soon
Rotowire
McHugh (shoulder) told reporters before Saturday's game that he is feeling good and likely to return in the next couple of days, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports.
McHugh threw 34 pitches over three scoreless innings in a rehab appearance for High-A Rome on Friday. The right-hander will take a couple of days off, and assuming there are no setbacks and McHugh continues to feel well, he should be operating in the Atlanta bullpen by the end of next week.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Making rehab appearance Tuesday
Rotowire
McHugh (shoulder) will make a rehab appearance for High-A Rome on Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
McHugh is currently on the shelf while dealing with inflammation in his right shoulder. The veteran right-hander will likely need to make a handful of bullpen appearances before returning to the Atlanta relief group at some point next week.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Resumes throwing
Rotowire
Manager Brian Snitker said Sunday that McHugh (shoulder) has resumed throwing, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
McHugh landed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation but expects to be activated following a minimal IL stint. The right-hander plans to throw off a mound within a day or two and should have plenty of time to build back up before he's eligible to return in late April.
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Braves' Collin McHugh: Doesn't expect long IL stint
Rotowire
McHugh (shoulder) said Thursday that he expects to start throwing again soon, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
McHugh was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday with what has been diagnosed as right shoulder inflammation. He's dealing with some soreness and stiffness, but it doesn't sound like this is going to be an overly lengthy absence for the veteran reliever.
McHugh was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right shoulder inflammation.
Jared Shuster has been recalled in a corresponding roster move and will likely get the start for Atlanta on Friday against the Padres. There is no estimated recovery timetable on McHugh, who had allowed one run through 3.2 innings of relief this year.
McHugh gave up a hit and struck out one over two scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.
Seeing his first game action of the spring, McHugh tossed 24 pitches, with 17 of them going for strikes. The veteran right-hander has posted a sub-1.00 WHIP in three of the last four seasons since moving into a relief role, and after collecting a career-high 17 holds in 2022, he's expected to fill a setup role once again for Atlanta.
