Braves Make Major Didier Fuentes Move After First MLB Outing of 2026

This is different from the reported plan for the young righty

Mar 7, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Didier Fuentes (72) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh inning during spring Training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves are sending one of the team's top pitching prospects back down to the minors possibly sooner than some fans may have anticipated.

Right-handed pitcher Didier Fuentes, Atlanta's No. 3 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, has been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, the Braves announced on Monday. The 20-year-old made just one appearance in the Braves' opening series of the season against the Kansas City Royals. The young righty threw four innings of relief in Atlanta's 4-1 loss to the Royals on Sunday, giving up one run on two hits and one walk, while striking out four.

Fuentes turned plenty of heads in spring training, so much so that the Braves likely felt they had no choice but to include the top prospect on their Opening Day roster. But the initial plan, at least according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, was for the 20-year-old to "spend the first couple weeks as a long reliever for Atlanta and then go to Triple-A Gwinnett to work as a starter." Instead, Atlanta is seemingly accelerating the second part of that reported plan by sending Fuentes to Triple-A less than a week into the season.

Braves might not keep Didier Fuentes in the minors for long

Jun 20, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Didier Fuentes (75) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Braves reportedly always planned to send Fuentes back to the minors to continue his development as a starter. But the somewhat surprising part of this move is that it came just three games into the season. The 20-year-old did throw 56 pitches in his four innings of work on Sunday, though, so he likely would've been unavailable out of Atlanta's bullpen for the next couple of days anyway.

In the corresponding move to Fuentes going down to Triple-A, the Braves added veteran southpaw Martín Pérez to the major league roster. The soon-to-be 35-year-old could be an option for Atlanta as both a starter and a long reliever out of the bullpen, similar to the role Fuentes was being used in.

Atlanta already has numerous injuries impacting its rotation. By sending Fuentes down to the minors now, the young righty will get the chance to build up his pitch count as a starter, setting the stage for him to potentially be an important piece for the Braves later this season.