Braves bolster bullpen by acquiring veteran left-hander Hand from Rockies
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves added another veteran left-hander to their bullpen by acquiring Brad Hand from the Colorado Rockies before Tuesday's trade deadline.
The Rockies acquired right-hander Alec Barger, who was 3-2 with a 3.29 ERA for Double-A Mississippi. Barger, 25, was a 17th-round draft pick out of North Carolina State by Atlanta in 2019.
Hand, 33, bolsters the bullpen, which also had left-hander A.J. Minter reinstated from the 15-day injured list on Monday. Minter had been out since July 12 while recovering from left shoulder inflammation.
The NL East-leading Braves also have dealt with the losses of left-hander Dylan Lee (left shoulder inflammation), right-hander Jesse Chavez (bruised left shin) and right-hander Nick Anderson (right shoulder strain) to the injured list.
Hand has 131 career saves in his 13-year career. The Braves are Hand's ninth team and complete his tour of every NL East team.
Hand will be expected to work in a set-up role in Atlanta behind closer Raisel Iglesias.
Hand is 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA with Colorado this season. He posted a 2.80 ERA with five saves in 55 games with Philadelphia in 2022.
Hand set a career high with 34 saves for Cleveland in 2019. He had a combined 32 saves for San Diego and Cleveland in 2018.
