WASHINGTON — Didier Fuentes is back.
The hard-throwing righty was recalled Wednesday ahead of the Braves’ game against the Nationals. Fuentes had been scratched from his scheduled start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday to be available this week if the MLB club needed him.
Turns out, it did.
An 11-4 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday had the Braves (16-8) use their bullpen for eight innings after starter Reynaldo López couldn’t record an out in the second. That development opened the door for Fuentes to rejoin the team.
“We’ll probably need a fresh arm or so,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said after Tuesday’s loss. “I’m sure there’s a few options on the table. A game like (Tuesday), you gotta go back to the drawing board.”
Martín Pérez (1-1), who had been scheduled to start Wednesday’s matchup, will now start Thursday.
Fuentes, 20, threw four innings of relief and allowed one run in the Braves’ 4-1 loss to the Royals on March 29. He returned to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he has made three starts, totaled 16⅔ innings and has a 2.16 ERA.
Fuentes also has 20 strikeouts, a 0.84 WHIP and .151 batting average against.
On Tuesday, the Braves had José Suarez pitch three innings of relief. Dylan Dodd, Aaron Bummer, Joel Payamps and Ian Hamilton all logged an inning each.
To make room for Fuentes, Hamilton was designated for assignment. Hamilton allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks in the eighth inning Tuesday.
Fuentes is the organization’s No. 3 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He made his MLB debut in 2025 and pitched in four games, allowing 20 earned runs (and six home runs) in 13 innings.
In spring training, Fuentes allowed one run in 13⅔ innings and struck out 18.
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