Braves Add Left-Hander Off Waiver Wire as Part of Early Offseason Move

A left-hander has been added to the Atlanta Braves system. The team announced on Monday that it claimed Mitchell Parker off waivers from the Washington Nationals.

We'll see if he's still around by the time the season actually rolls around. Players can be added on waivers and put back on waivers during the course of the offseason, but he could provide extra left-handed depth.

In 22 appearances last season, Parker pitched to a 6.58 ERA. He had been a starter during the 2024 and 2025 seasons for the Nationals, pitching to a 5.02 ERA in 62 appearances, 59 starts, in that time.

Parker is an arm that comes with injury risk. He was out for the season after his appearance on June 28 due to left elbow inflammation. With the other injury risks in the rotation, he wouldn't be providing any security. For what it's worth, it's his only injury since 2023, but it was a big one.

The 27-year-old arm brings a four-pitch mix: a slider, a curveball, a four-seam fastball and a splitter. The first two pitches come with respectable whiff rates (34.1% and 29.3%), but he didn't wasn't putting hitters away with them (16.8% and 13%).

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