According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on June 10, the Texas Rangers have signed right-handed reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minor league contract after he was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves on June 7.
Craig Kimbrel signing minor-league deal with Rangers, source tells @TheAthletic. Kimbrel elected free agency after the Braves designated him for assignment.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 10, 2025
The Rangers have not yet announced which affiliate Kimbrel will report to.
Kimbrel elected free agency on June 9 after being outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett.
He made one relief appearance for Atlanta on June 6 against the San Francisco Giants, pitching one inning and allowing one hit and one walk while striking out a batter and giving up no earned runs.
The Braves called up Kimbrel from Triple-A Gwinnett on June 5, according to Rosenthal, after their bullpen gave up seven earned runs in one inning during a home loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11-10.
In the wake of today’s ninth-inning collapse, the Braves are summoning Craig Kimbrel from Triple A, source tells @TheAthletic
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 5, 2025
A nine-time All-Star, Kimbrel has a 2.00 ERA with 23 strikeouts across 18 innings in 18 appearances this season between Double-A and Triple-A.
Craig Kimbrel is reportedly joining the @Braves 👀
The 9-time All-Star has a 2.00 ERA with 23 K's in 18 IP across 18 appearances between two levels this season. pic.twitter.com/1DuFmGW3o4
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 5, 2025
David O’Brien of The Athletic reported on June 5 that Atlanta placed right-hander Daysbel Hernández on the injured list, designated right-hander Scott Blewett for assignment, and recalled left-hander Dylan Dodd as part of the corresponding move to bring up Kimbrel.
In addition to bringing up Craig Kimbrel, the #Braves are going to put RH Daysbel Hernández on the IL, a source told The Athletic, and they've DFA'd RH Scott Blewett and and recalled LH Dylan Dodd.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) June 5, 2025
Kimbrel ranks fifth all-time in Major League Baseball history with 440 career saves, trailing only active leader Kenley Jansen, who has 459.
Over 15 MLB seasons, Kimbrel has played for Atlanta (2010–14), San Diego (2015), Boston (2016–18), the Chicago Cubs (2019–21), the Chicago White Sox (2021), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2022), the Philadelphia Phillies (2023), and the Baltimore Orioles (2024). He returned to the Braves organization on a minor league deal signed March 18 and was assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett that same day.
Kimbrel was sent to Double-A Mississippi on April 14 before being promoted back to Gwinnett on April 22. In three appearances at Double-A, he threw 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, one walk, and striking out six.
With Gwinnett this season, Kimbrel is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA, recording three saves in 15 appearances. He allowed eight hits, four earned runs, and eight walks while striking out 17.
Last season with Baltimore, Kimbrel was designated for assignment on September 18 and released on September 24. He went 7-5 with a 5.33 ERA in 57 appearances, logging 23 saves, 40 hits, 31 earned runs, seven home runs, 31 walks, 73 strikeouts, and a 1.357 WHIP.
Over his MLB career, Kimbrel has appeared in 837 games, compiling a 56-47 record and a 2.59 ERA across 810.2 innings. He has allowed 483 hits, 233 earned runs, 73 home runs, 340 walks, and struck out 1,266 batters with a 1.015 WHIP.
Kimbrel is a former National League Rookie of the Year (2011), World Series champion (2018), and four-time league saves leader (2011–14). He has also won multiple reliever awards and was part of a combined no-hitter on June 24, 2021.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Craig Kimbrel crouches on the mound between pitches during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Friday, June 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
