Long-Time Phillies Southpaw Returns To MLB With Hated Rival Braves

The Philadelphia Phillies have continued to lean on a pitching pipeline that has produced several important pieces of their current roster.

Aaron Nola remains a longtime fixture in the rotation, while Cristopher Snchez has developed into one of the organization’s frontline starters and Andrew Painter has finally reached the major leagues after years of anticipation.

That success has made the Phillies’ pitching depth one of the more intriguing parts of their roster, particularly as Philadelphia continues to navigate a competitive National League East. But one former Phillies southpaw who once occupied a spot in that pitching pipeline has now found his way back to the majors with one of the organization’s biggest rivals.

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On Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves announced that long-time Phillies pitching project Bailey Falter was joining their big-league roster, giving the longtime Philadelphia southpaw a surprising new chapter as the National League East race heats up.

“The Braves today selected LHP Bailey Falter to the major league roster and designated RHP Elieser Hernandez for assignment,” per the team.

Falter, 29, originally reached the majors with Philadelphia in 2021 after being selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He spent parts of three seasons with the club after that and became a particularly useful depth option in 2022, when he made 20 appearances, including 16 starts, and posted a 3.86 ERA across 84 innings.

That season proved to be the high point of Falter’s Phillies tenure. He also made a postseason appearance during Philadelphia’s run to the 2022 National League pennant, starting Game 4 of the NLCS against the San Diego Padres.

Falter struggled during the following season, however, and Philadelphia ultimately traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in August 2023 for infielder Rodolfo Castro. He later moved to the Kansas City Royals before Atlanta acquired him at the trade deadline this year.

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The move to Atlanta comes after a difficult start to Falter’s 2026 season in Kansas City.

“Falter, also 29, came to the Braves alongside Lane Thomas in a deadline swap with the Royals,” Steve Adams reported for MLB Trade Rumors. “Kansas City included Falter as a means of shedding some of the $3.6MM salary he’s earning this season. The left-hander pitched only 9 2/3 innings with the Royals and was rocked for 15 runs on 24 hits and six walks with six strikeouts.”

Falter was immediately moved to Triple-A Gwinnett after the trade and was particularly effective there, allowing no earned runs over 10 2/3 innings, giving the Braves a reason to bring him back to the big leagues.

Now, a pitcher who once served as Philadelphia’s emergency starter and rotation depth has another chance to contribute at the highest level. The added intrigue is that he will do it wearing an Atlanta uniform, potentially giving Phillies fans another reason to keep an eye on a familiar name during the stretch run.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com