Braves' Aaron Bummer: Club option will be exercised
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Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that the team plans to pick up Bummer's $7.25 million club option for 2025, Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game Atlanta reports.
The 31-year-old lefty held a 3.58 ERA and 69:18 K:BB over 55.1 innings in 2024 in his first season with Atlanta. Bummer could have an even more important role in 2025 with A.J. Minter heading into free agency and recovering from hip surgery.
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Braves' Aaron Bummer: Collects third win
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Bummer (3-2) picked up the win Friday over the Marlins, allowing one hit and striking out two in a scoreless eighth inning.
Entering the game with Atlanta down 3-2, the southpaw gave up a leadoff single to Xavier Edwards and watched the shortstop steal second base, but Bummer then proceeded to shut down what passes for the heart of the Miami order, including a strikeout of cleanup hitter Jonah Bride. Bummer has a 1.74 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 10.1 innings since the beginning of July, but Atlanta's deep bullpen keeps him out of consistent fantasy-friendly usage -- he has zero saves or holds on the season.
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Braves' Aaron Bummer: Not seeing high-leverage work
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Bummer has posted a 3.62 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 37:11 K:BB through 32.1 innings with two wins, zero saves and zero holds through 33 appearances.
Acquired from the White Sox in the offseason to bolster Atlanta's relief corps, Bummer hasn't been able to claim a high-leverage role in a much deeper bullpen than he was part of in Chicago. The southpaw has been effective at keeping the ball in the park, serving up only one homer despite a 54.9 percent groundball rate that's his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2017. Barring a rash of injuries ahead of him in the pecking order, Bummer will likely continue working in middle relief in the second half, limiting his fantasy value even in formats that use holds as well as saves.
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Braves' Aaron Bummer: Collects second win
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Bummer (2-2) picked up the win Thursday over the Nationals, striking out one in a perfect seventh inning.
The southpaw set down the bottom of Washington's order on 13 pitches (eight strikes), and Atlanta took its first lead of the game in the top of the eighth. Bummer isn't seeing the high-leverage work he grew accustomed to with the White Sox, and he's still looking for his first hold of the season. After a bumpy start to the campaign, he's been tagged for earned runs in only one of 10 appearances since the beginning of May, posting a 1.64 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB through 11 innings over that stretch.
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Braves' Aaron Bummer: Nabs win Monday
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Bummer (1-1) was credited with the win Monday against the Astros, giving up one hit in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
The left-hander got the final out of the fifth inning after relieving Darius Vines, and the official scorer elected to give Bummer the win. It's the earliest in a game he's pitched so far this season, but Bummer has been deployed anywhere from the fifth to the ninth inning as a utility arm in the Atlanta bullpen. Through six innings and seven appearances, he's posted a 4.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 5:2 K:BB with zero holds or saves.
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Braves' Aaron Bummer: Tagged with loss Sunday
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Bummer (0-1) got charged with a blown save and took the loss Sunday against the Phillies, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out one in the seventh inning.
In his second appearance of the season, Bummer entered the game to protect a 3-2 lead with a runner on first and nobody out. The southpaw seemed to have gotten out of the inning clean after fanning Brandon Marsh and getting Johan Rojas to ground into a double play, but Rojas was ruled safe at first base on replay, and Bummer then allowed four straight singles. After recording 12 wins, 46 holds and an 11.7 K/9 over the prior three seasons for the White Sox, Bummer is being counted on as a reliable high-leverage option in the Atlanta bullpen, but competition is fierce and a poor start to the campaign could see him fall behind Tyler Matzek or Dylan Lee in the pecking order from the left side.
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Braves' Aaron Bummer: Mixed results this spring
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Bummer gave up a run on two hits while striking out two in an inning of relief during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.
Acquired from the White Sox in the offseason, Bummer has been touched for runs in three of his five appearances this spring and has a 7.20 ERA, but he's largely been working later innings with minor-league defenders behind him. A better indication of how his camp has gone might come from his 5:0 K:BB through five innings. The 30-year-old could be the top lefty in the Atlanta bullpen to begin the year if A.J. Minter (finger) and Tyler Matzek (side) aren't ready for Opening Day, but regardless of where Bummer slots in the pecking order for setup duties, there should be plenty of leads to protect for a team that's won over 100 games each of the last two seasons.
Bummer was traded from the White Sox to Atlanta on Thursday in exchange for Michael Soroka (forearm), Jared Shuster, Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake and Riley Gowens.
Bummer was commonly used in high-leverage situations by the White Sox in 2023, as he managed 15 holds in 61 appearances. While he maintained only a 6.79 ERA and 1.53 WHIP, his 78:36 K:BB across 58.1 innings suggests there's plenty of upside in his profile. Bummer could emerge as one of Atlanta's top setup men for Raisel Iglesias in 2024.
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White Sox's Aaron Bummer: Getting looks in high leverage
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Bummer has recorded three holds in his last five appearances for the White Sox.
Bummer has had an up-and-down season, but the White Sox gutted their bullpen at the trade deadline. In turn, he's been asked to pitch in a higher-leverage role of late, and he's maintained a 1.09 WHIP with an 18:8 K:BB across 15.2 innings since the All-Star break. Gregory Santos is the team's preferred closer at this point, though Bummer could get a look if Santos stumbles in the role.
White Sox's Aaron Bummer: Scheduled to pitch Friday
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Bummer (lat) is scheduled to appear in Friday's Cactus League game against the Athletics, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Bummer will be making his Cactus League debut against Oakland after missing the start of spring training with soreness in his right lat. The right-hander isn't a lock to make the Opening Day roster because of how much time he'll have missed, but his stint on the injured list would likely be short if he isn't available for the start of the season. Bummer could be in line for save chances for the White Sox at some point in 2023 with no defined closer for Chicago to begin the campaign.
White Sox's Aaron Bummer: Throws first bullpen session
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Bummer (lat) threw a bullpen session Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
It's the first time he's thrown off a mound since he went down with some left lat soreness in early February. The White Sox will wait to see how Bummer recovers Friday before deciding the next step. The team remains hopeful that Bummer will be ready for Opening Day, but he can't afford any missteps.
