Is this rising Braves prospect a viable late-season bullpen option?
The pitching prospect is in the midst of a strong 2024 season.
After the Atlanta Braves traded third base prospect Sabin Ceballos to the Giants as part of the Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson deal, it meant that a new member of the organization had to officially enter the club’s Top 30 prospects list.
Well, the name that ended up filling that list by MLB Pipeline was left-handed pitcher Hayden Harris, a former Georgia Southern product who went undrafted in the 2022 MLB Draft prior to signing with the Braves in July of that year.
A prospect who is rising through Atlanta’s system due to a strong 2024 season, Harris is also quickly becoming a name to know for the Braves as well, as the left-hander has fully emerged as one of the organization’s top bullpen arms in the minor leagues.
Because of this, could a potential 2024 late-season MLB debut for Harris potentially be in the works as well?
Could Hayden Harris make his MLB debut in 2024?
A 25-year-old left-hander, Harris originally began to emerge as a prospect toward the end of last year when he posted a 2.83 ERA and 50:17 K:BB ratio across 35 IP with Double-A Mississippi. These totals allowed the southpaw to conclude his first full professional season with a 4.10 ERA and a 91:24 K:BB ratio across 59.1 IP across three different minor league levels, and would help set the stage for what would be an anticipated 2024 season that began in Double-A, as opposed to Low-A in 2023.
To begin this season, Harris would simply dominate Double-A at times, owning a 1.74 ERA and a 34:9 K:BB ratio across 20.2 IP, while also limiting opponents to a combined .218 AVG against. Because of this, the left-hander would receive a call-up to Triple-A Gwinnett back in late-June, Harris’ first at the level.
Since that move, Harris has nine IP with the Stripers in which he owns a 5.00 ERA and 15:6 K:BB ratio, with opponents also owning a .212 AVG against. This brings his season totals to a 2.73 ERA and 49:15 K:BB ratio across 29.2 IP between the two levels.
In the midst of a strong season, Harris is clearly beginning to rise within the Braves organization, but could that rise now lead to a potential MLB call-up later this season?
While the Braves bullpen is likely to not need a left-handed arm the remainder of the year due to the likes of A.J. Minter, Dylan Lee, and Aaron Bummer, Harris is certainly a name to watch for in the event of an injury. Should that happen as well, then Harris would also have to be added to the 40-man roster in order to do that.
Regardless of whether this happens, or he concludes the season in Triple-A, it’s clear that Harris has emerged as a name to know in the Braves system, and should make an impact in the major leagues sooner rather than later.
