Kimbrel signed a minor-league deal on March 18 with the Braves, his original Major League team. Atlanta added Kimbrel to its 40-man roster on Friday, and he pitched a scoreless inning in a 5-4, 10-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants.

The Atlanta Braves waited over two months of the 2025 Major League Baseball season to give 37-year-old All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel an opportunity. Kimbrel, who signed a minor league deal with the Braves in March, spent the first two months of the 2025 season in Triple-A, waiting to join a struggling Atlanta team.

Craig Kimbrel was not given much of an opportunity to prove himself with the Atlanta Braves this season, but the veteran relief pitcher has landed with a new team.