Former Phillies reliever Héctor Neris is back in the National League East as he officially signed with the Atlanta Braves on Monday, according to the club’s transaction log. The 35-year-old joined the Braves on a minor-league deal with an invitation to major-league spring training.
1Neris, a right-hander with a heavy fastball-splitter combination, is an 11-year big-league veteran who spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Phillies. He made his debut in 2014, throwing one inning, then emerged as a bullpen mainstay in Philadelphia the next season. Neris certainly had ups and downs in his Phillies career, complete with some stellar seasons, some lackluster ones and a pivotal Triple-A demotion and bounceback in 2018. But Neris was a productive pitcher overall with a 3.42 ERA and 84 saves in 405 appearances with the Phillies.
After his time in Philadelphia, Neris signed with the Astros and was a key bullpen piece for the Houston club that defeated the Phillies in the 2022 World Series. He followed that up with the best season of his career in 2023 with a 1.71 ERA in 71 outings.
Neris signed with the Chicago Cubs last season, but he was released in August. He signed with the Astros once again to close out the year. After a season in which he posted a 4.10 ERA in 62 games, Neris was unable to find a guaranteed major-league landing spot for 2025. With the Braves, he’ll compete to break camp with the team for the duration of spring training. And if he ends up pitching for Atlanta, the Phillies will see plenty of their old friend, who has not allowed a single run against his former team in seven appearances between the regular season and postseason, in divisional games.
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