Braves sign Sean Reid-Foley to a Minor League deal

The Braves signed right-handed Sean Reid Foley to a minor league contract, as first noted in MLB.com’s transaction log. There is no invite to Major League camp because of the Righty’s deal.

The 30-year-old Reid-Foley was a second-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2014 and was known as a highly regarded pitching prospect for a few years early in his pro career. He has shown tremendous swing-and-miss ability, but also persistent command issues – all amid ongoing injury problems. Notably, he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022, which wiped out more than a calendar year. Reid-Foley was also on the injured list several times due to a shoulder impingement in 2024.

In 131 2/3 innings at the Major League level, Reid-Foley has posted a 4.10 earned run average while striking out 25.6% of his opponents. His strikeout numbers especially spiked in 2023-2024, when he fanned nearly a third of his opponents (buoyed by a 13.5% swinging-strike rate) – albeit in a small sample size of 29 1/3 innings. His workload during those two seasons was shortened by Tommy John rehabilitation and subsequent shoulder impingement.

Reid-Foley split the 2025 season between the D-backs and Mets organizations, pitching exactly 14 innings for each club’s Triple-A affiliate. He struggled considerably. In the 28 frames last year, Reid-Foley was picked up for a 7.07 ERA thanks to a plethora of home runs and walks.

Command has long been a problem for Reid-Foley. Although he has compiled great strikeout totals and numbers in previous seasons, he has struggled to keep runners off the bases due to his lack of precision. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound right-hander has walked 14.2% of his Major League opponents and had similar problems in parts of six seasons at Triple-A, where his career walk rate of 13.7% is only marginally better than his Major League rate.

With Atlanta, Reid-Foley doesn’t have a clear path to the majors — nor would he if he had gotten a big-league invite — given the Braves’ busy, highly experienced bullpen. He will open the season with Triple-A Gwinnett and could emerge as an option later this year if the Braves suffer injuries in the Majors and/or if he can bounce back from last year’s dismal Triple-A results.