Former Georgia Southern ace Hayden Harris promoted to Atlanta Braves, makes MLB Debut
Former Georgia Southern pitcher Hayden Harris makes his MLB debut with the Braves after a dominant minor league season
Updated: 12:24 AM EDT Sep 3, 2025
Former Georgia Southern pitcher Hayden Harris has been called up to the Atlanta Braves, the team announced Tuesday morning, and he made his major league debut that same night, pitching a perfect seventh inning in a loss to the Chicago Cubs.Harris, a left-hander, had a standout season in the minors, combining stats from two levels to go 6-0 with a 0.56 ERA. In 48 innings, he struck out 73 batters while allowing just three earned runs. His performance also earned him a spot in the MLB Futures Game during the All-Star break, where he struck out the side in his one inning of work.Harris played five seasons at Georgia Southern from 2018-2022, appearing in 95 games and pitching 144.1 innings. He finished his college career with eight wins, 10 saves, 166 strikeouts, and a .241 opponent batting average. In his final season, he threw 3.2 scoreless innings against Troy in the Sun Belt Tournament and later pitched against Notre Dame in Statesboro’s Regional. He signed a free-agent deal with the Braves in July 2022.After spending most of 2023 in Single-A, Harris was promoted to the Mississippi Braves late in the season, then made his AAA debut with the Gwinnett Stripers in June 2024. He began 2025 in AA with the Columbus Clingstones, posting a perfect 4-0 record with a 0.79 ERA and 37 strikeouts before returning to AAA.Harris is the 17th former Georgia Southern player to reach the major leagues and the first since Sam Howard in 2022.
ATLANTA —
Former Georgia Southern pitcher Hayden Harris has been called up to the Atlanta Braves, the team announced Tuesday morning, and he made his major league debut that same night, pitching a perfect seventh inning in a loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Harris, a left-hander, had a standout season in the minors, combining stats from two levels to go 6-0 with a 0.56 ERA. In 48 innings, he struck out 73 batters while allowing just three earned runs. His performance also earned him a spot in the MLB Futures Game during the All-Star break, where he struck out the side in his one inning of work.
Harris played five seasons at Georgia Southern from 2018-2022, appearing in 95 games and pitching 144.1 innings. He finished his college career with eight wins, 10 saves, 166 strikeouts, and a .241 opponent batting average. In his final season, he threw 3.2 scoreless innings against Troy in the Sun Belt Tournament and later pitched against Notre Dame in Statesboro’s Regional. He signed a free-agent deal with the Braves in July 2022.
After spending most of 2023 in Single-A, Harris was promoted to the Mississippi Braves late in the season, then made his AAA debut with the Gwinnett Stripers in June 2024. He began 2025 in AA with the Columbus Clingstones, posting a perfect 4-0 record with a 0.79 ERA and 37 strikeouts before returning to AAA.
Harris is the 17th former Georgia Southern player to reach the major leagues and the first since Sam Howard in 2022.