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See the full story · 1 sourcesATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 28: Aaron Bummer #49 and Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate following the 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Truist Park on April 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) Getty
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 2: Aaron Bummer #36 of the Kansas City Royals pitches in the sixth innning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) Getty
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 25: Relief pitcher Aaron Bummer #49 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 25, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Getty
As the Atlanta Braves go for their ninth straight win on Friday evening against the New York Yankees, a piece of news dropped across MLB about a recent Braves pitcher who spent three seasons in the organization.
Following being let go by the Kansas City Royals, pitcher Aaron Bummer is officially an MLB free agent again for any organization to sign.
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Aaron Bummer Hits Free Agency After Being Let Go by Royals
Getty DENVER, COLORADO – AUGUST 2: Aaron Bummer #36 of the Kansas City Royals pitches in the sixth innning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
A few days ago, the Kansas City Royals designated Aaron Bummer for assignment.
Bummer, 32, was sent outright to AAA Omaha, but he rejected that assignment and departed the organization in favor of MLB free agency.
With the Royals, Aaron Bummer pitched just 1.1 innings and allowed 6 earned runs in the process, which makes it obvious why he was let go.
Aaron Bummer also pitched with the Atlanta Braves this season and wasn’t very effective in his appearances either, posting an ERA of 10.26 across 16+ innings with 19 earned runs allowed and just 13 strikeouts.
The Braves likely aren’t in favor of bringing back Aaron Bummer, and he may contemplate retirement after putting together a less-than-ideal 2026 campaign from a stats perspective.
CBSSports’ RotoWire staff wrote (about his free agency decision):
“The veteran left-hander had his contract selected last weekend, and he pitched in two games out of the bullpen for Kansas City. Bummer faced 11 batters but recorded just four outs, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk with no strikeouts. He’ll try to find work elsewhere rather than heading to Omaha.”
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Aaron Bummer’s Tenure with the Braves
Getty PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 25: Relief pitcher Aaron Bummer #49 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 25, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
A very unproductive 2026 season will overshadow a relatively solid three-year stint with the Braves for Aaron Bummer.
He joined the club in 2024 after spending seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox .
In 2024, he posted a 3.58 ERA with Atlanta over 55+ innings with 69 strikeouts.
He followed that campaign up with another solid 2025 season, boasting an ERA of 3.81 with 71 strikeouts in 54+ IP. The strikeout numbers did start to drop, which usually spells bad news for pitchers like Bummer, who tend to live a little too close to the heart of the plate.
Then the disastrous campaign with the Braves came this season, and Bummer was released from the organization. He spent a very brief period of time with the Chicago Cubs , but did not pitch any innings with their Majors club.
Over 10 total MLB seasons, Bummer holds a lifetime ERA of 4.07 across 398+ innings and 442 strikeouts.
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