Jesse Chavez re-signed with the Atlanta Braves on Friday for the eighth time, continuing a pattern that’s hard to dismiss as coincidence. At 41, he appears to have an informal role—pitch a few innings at home, avoid taking up a full-time roster spot, skip road trips, and stay ready. World Baseball Network tried to make sense of the arrangement by comparing his performance at Truist Park to his outings elsewhere in recent years.
The Atlanta Braves just acquired Jesse Chavez for the
-2nd time this week
-7th time in 4 years
-8th time in his career pic.twitter.com/wY6Zd7Dasf— Baseball Doesn't Exist (@BaseballDoesnt) April 4, 2025
Chavez’s numbers at Truist Park support the idea. In 78 career appearances at home with Atlanta, he’s thrown 96.2 innings with a 2.51 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. His only other outing at Truist came in 2018—as a Cub—when he struck out two in 1.1 clean innings. That’s 97.3 innings of near-dominance on that mound.
On the road since 2018, though, it’s a different story. In 103 appearances away from Atlanta during that span, Chavez has a 4.25 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, giving up more home runs, issuing more walks, and striking out fewer batters. He’s still been serviceable in short bursts, but the contrast is impossible to ignore.
Whether it’s the ballpark, how the Braves manage him, or something else entirely, Chavez has remained one of the most unusual success stories in modern Braves history—so long as he stays home.
The Atlanta Braves brought back Chavez on April 4, according to his MLB player profile, shortly after he elected free agency. He has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Chavez made one appearance for Atlanta this season, pitching two innings in a road loss to the Dodgers on March 31. He allowed two hits and one earned run on a solo homer, walked two, and struck out one.
The 41-year-old has logged 17 Major League seasons and had five previous stints with Atlanta—in 2010, 2021, 2022, and again after a waiver claim in August 2022. He remained with the team through 2023.
Chavez briefly signed with the White Sox in February 2024 but returned to Atlanta in late March. In 2024, he made 46 relief appearances for the Braves, throwing 63.1 innings with a 3.13 ERA, 1.247 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts.
His career strikeout rate sits at 24.3%, with a 7.6% walk rate and 42.4% ground ball rate.
Chavez has a veteran presence due to his many years in the league and his familiarity with the Braves’ clubhouse. He is not on the 40-man roster but will be competing for innings at Triple-A Gwinnett with Davis Daniel, Dylan Dodd, Buck Farmer, Domingo Gonzalez, Kolton Ingram, Nathan Wiles, Jordan Weems, and Wander Suero.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
