The Braves are excited about the return of their not-so-secret weapon, Tyler Matzek.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October of 2021, left-hander Matzek—who was a hero for the Braves during the postseason and helped the club win the World Series—struggled with elbow and back problems in 2022 and missed the whole 2023 season. He was healthy and throwing without any restrictions early in the spring training season.
“I’m feeling incredibly great, especially in the last like week and a half, two weeks,” Matzek said on Thursday. “Everything is aligning, and the timing is improving.” There is a really nice vibe to everything. It felt amazing and really lovely when I turned it down in October 2023, following a year of therapy. And ever since coming back, everything has gone according to plan.

Following the Braves-Dodgers NLCS Game 6, Tyler Matzek solidified his place in Braves history. Image of Michael Zarrilli sourced from Getty Images)

Matzek is expected to be on the Opening Day roster after bouncing back from elbow surgery sixteen months earlier, unless it turns out he has to play a few more games after spring training to get his game in line. If so, Matzek would most likely finish a brief rehabilitation assignment before reporting to the Braves a few weeks into the season.

Either way, Matzek may be one of the key members of a potent bullpen. Whether he’s outdoors in the bullpen during a game, in the clubhouse, or on the mound, Matzek exudes an infectious charm and confidence.

Brilliant was Brian Snitker’s response on Friday when asked what it would mean to have Matzek back at or near his former level.We all remember where he was when he fell and how important he was to us. We could actually benefit from just having him back and operating at his peak capacity.

Entering the game in the eighth inning with two runners in scoring position and no outs, Matzek created history in Game 6 of the 2021 NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Matzek tried to keep the damage to a run because the Braves were ahead 4-2.

Far beyond that, he struck out the next three Braves hitters—Albert Pujols, Steven Souza Jr., and Mookie Betts—to energize raucous Truist Park and increase the team’s already rapidly rising confidence. He struck out again in a perfect eighth inning, and the Braves won to clinch the NLCS.

They then won the World Series against Houston in six games.

Matzek started on the mound in 13 of Atlanta’s 16 postseason games. He allowed 10 hits, 3 runs, a dismal.492 OPS, 24 strikeouts, and 4 walks in 15 2/3 innings. That remarkable three-and-a-half-week outing cemented his legacy with the Braves.

Together with two other lefties, A.J. Minter and then-closer Will Smith, Matzek was a key member of a swaggering bullpen. Matzek was out of the majors for more than four years and out of affiliated ball of any kind for three seasons due to control issues that followed a spell of “the yips” and a later struggle with depression. This is why his story was so motivational.

2019 saw him earn a minor-league contract with the Braves out of independent ball. He joined the major league squad during the 2020 season, which was cut short by the pandemic. In 90 appearances during the 2020–2021 season, he had a 2.64 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 92 innings of regular-season action. The 2021 postseason performance was the next best thing.

“It helps all the guys who haven’t been there before to have a person like Matzek who has because he’ll voice his views on anything and offer his counsel,” d’Arnaud said. “It would be fantastic to have him back.”

Matzek’s 2021 postseason success only made things more difficult for him when he was benched by the team before the October 2022 NL Division Series against Philadelphia. Despite his deteriorating elbow injury, he tried to pitch, and in the last four weeks of the regular season, he pitched nine times, giving up eleven innings thrown, twelve walks, and six runs. He underwent TJ surgery when it was determined that he had a torn ligament.

He had periodic back problems that season, and Matzek believes the elbow injury was caused by him compensating for it. Early in TJ’s recuperation, at spring training, a bulging disc in his back was discovered. Before starting his rehabilitation again, he had injections to help the disk settle.

He said that the back was now completely pain-free.

The Braves lost to the Phillies in a four-game NL Division Series in 2022 and again in another four-game NLDS last October, both times when Matzek wasn’t even close to finishing his recovery or being considered for the postseason roster. Rehab after total joint replacement surgery used to take a year, but with research showing extended recovery was more reasonable and had better long-term effects, it now takes more like 14–16 months.

It was awful for Matzek to go through consecutive Octobers of being powerless.

“Unfortunately, I had to miss two postseasons,” he said. “I desired to be present to aid the guys in their triumph. Maybe I can make it before the year ends, but we’ll see.

The previous winter, the Braves traded for veteran lefty Aaron Bummer and another hard-throwing lefty reliever, Ray Kerr. Kerr and left-hander Dylan Lee, who is healthy again after missing a large portion of the previous season due to shoulder issues, may start in Triple A if needed. Both have options in the minor leagues.

Reinaldo López, a fiery reliever that the Braves signed, is being stretched out to start but might shift to the bullpen if the team decides he’s more needed or more appropriate there. Hard-throwing setup guys Pierce Johnson and Joe Jiménez, who weren’t on the squad the previous time Matzek pitched, were both re-signed.

They bring back closer Raisedl Iglesias and Minter, two of the most dependable and productive lefties in baseball over a number of seasons. When Iglesias was placed on the injured list in 2023, Minter closed at the front of the bullpen and was sometimes the only healthy lefty in the pen.

Matzek said, pointing to Minter, who was a few lockers below him, “He was severely abused.” “He has been quite busy over the last few years.”I believe that when relievers toss a lot, they are exposed more. We do better when we are not compelled to throw every day. Mint doesn’t have to throw every game, so I’m interested to see what he does.

Along with a plethora of proven bullpen qualities, the Braves have access to more high-leverage options than Snitker has ever had, and maybe more than any other Braves manager in history.

“That World Series year, we won 88 games, and a couple guys in the bullpen were really heavy lifters,” Matzek said. Now that we have the pen, we can distribute that burden around the whole bullpen, which ought to help us win more than 100 games. So I’m certain everything will go smoothly.

We’re all filled up there. We have an enormous number of options at our disposal. Men are capable of staying healthy. They won’t have to throw in a little rest since we have other players who can step in and accomplish the task. As such, it will be enjoyable to see. I can’t wait to participate in it.