Braves bolster 'pen, sign righty Hamilton

The Braves added another arm to their bullpen on Friday, signing right-hander Ian Hamilton to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract.

Hamilton, 30, has pitched for six seasons in the Majors, the past three with the Yankees. He was a weapon out of the 'pen in 2023, producing a 2.64 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 58 innings. He also posted a strong 34.6% whiff rate and a 56.0% ground-ball rate that year.

Hamilton’s numbers have fallen off over the past two seasons, largely due to injuries and poor performance. In 2024, he missed nearly three months of action due to a right lat strain. This past season, Hamilton had a 4.28 ERA across 40 innings and spent the final two months of the campaign at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Since Hamilton’s contract is non-guaranteed, that means it is either a Minor League deal or a split contract. A player on a Minor League or split contract will earn the prorated portion of his Major League salary for the time he spends on the MLB roster.