Valley Central alum James Karinchak returns to majors with Braves
After 984 days away from the majors, Valley Central grad James Karinchak is back with Atlanta, a comeback that resonates across Orange County.
Valley Central graduate James Karinchak is back in the majors, and the move carries more weight in Orange County than a routine bullpen transaction. The Newburgh native has returned to an active Atlanta Braves roster after a 984-day stretch away from the big leagues, giving local baseball followers a familiar name to root for again.
The right-handed reliever’s path back was anything but direct. Atlanta brought him in after Chicago-AL released him on June 15, and Karinchak had just finished a 24-game stretch with Triple-A Charlotte, where he went 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA and struck out 34 batters in 29.1 innings. His return also followed a shoulder injury that interrupted his 2024 season and a rehab assignment with Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate in September 2024, part of a long reset that left his major league career stalled for nearly three years.
For Orange County, the significance runs deeper than the numbers. Karinchak grew up in Walden, graduated from Valley Central High School, and reached the majors as a ninth-round draft pick by the Cleveland Indians in 2017 after starring at Bryant University. He made his MLB debut on Sept. 14, 2019, with Cleveland, and his journey from the Hudson Valley to the highest level of the sport has made him one of the region’s more recognizable baseball products.
Bryant University said Karinchak’s call-up gave the Bulldogs three active major leaguers for the first time, joining Mickey Gasper of the Red Sox and Ryan Ward of the Dodgers. That detail adds another layer to the story: Karinchak’s return is not just a homegrown victory for Walden and Valley Central, but also a reminder of the national reach that can come from a local school path.
MLB’s prospect profile once pointed to the dominance that made him a prospect to watch, noting that he set Bryant records for wins and strikeouts as a sophomore and ranked second in Division I in strikeout rate in 2017. Baseball’s long memory can be unforgiving, especially for relievers whose careers depend on sharp command and late-life velocity, but Karinchak’s latest chance shows those traits still matter when a club needs arms.
The Braves made room for him amid a flurry of pitching moves, including the designation of Carlos Carrasco for assignment, and Karinchak was listed on the club’s active roster as of June 18. For Orange County sports fans, that means another local name is back on a major league stage, and this time the comeback is the story.
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