Pretty much nothing is going right for the Atlanta Braves lately, and while there’s plenty of blame to go around, this is a quick spotlight on one reliever whose rope might be just about spent: Rafael Montero.
An Underwhelming Start
Montero joined the Braves early in the season after a rocky end in Houston and came with little financial baggage. It looked like a low-risk, maybe-some-reward move. But wow, the early returns were grim.
Hitters slashed a hideous 124/136/160 against him through his first seven outings. The only reason the numbers weren’t even worse? He didn’t give up any home runs in that stretch. Despite the disastrous ratios, he somehow managed two shutdowns and just one meltdown — but let’s be honest, the eye test wasn’t kind.
A Marginal Recovery Until It Wasn’t
Then came a stretch where things started to look a touch better. Over his next appearances, Montero posted an 88/67/98 slash. It was still not good, but in comparison, it felt like an improvement.
His walk rate dipped slightly, the hard contact came down, and he stayed away from the long ball. Just enough to keep him on the roster. His shutdown-to-meltdown ratio stayed even. It wasn’t confidence-inspiring, but it was something.
Then came Tuesday night. The home-runless streak? Gone. A three-run bomb erased any goodwill he might have earned, and with it, Montero’s line as a Brave now sits at 129/106/121. It’s not exactly a guy you trust with a game on the line.
Why Is He Still With the Braves?
That’s the million-dollar question. The Braves have been weirdly patient when it comes to letting go of underperforming bullpen arms this season. Some of that might be because the minor league reinforcements aren’t exactly banging down the door. But if the goal is to win baseball games — especially close ones — Montero just hasn’t delivered.
What Do the Braves Do Next?
It’s hard to see a long runway for him unless he pulls off a drastic turnaround. The Braves are under .500 and starting to run out of time to get back into the thick of the NL race. You can’t keep trotting out guys who aren’t missing bats or limiting damage. Montero hasn’t been reliable, hasn’t been dominant, and now he’s not even keeping the ball in the yard.
If Atlanta is serious about righting the ship, Rafael Montero may be one of the first names on the chopping block. Stay tuned — this feels like it’s coming to a head sooner rather than later.
