Biography
Aaron James Bummer (born September 21, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox.
Amateur career
Bummer attended Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, Arizona, and played for the school's baseball team. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 31st round of the 2011 MLB draft. He did not sign with the Yankees and enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to play college baseball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
In 2013, Bummer played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star. In 2014, as a junior at Nebraska, he had a 7–5 win–loss record with a 3.34 earned run average (ERA) in 15 games started.
Professional career
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox selected Bummer in the 19th round, with the 558th overall selection, of the 2014 MLB draft. After signing with the White Sox, Bummer made his professional debut that same year with the Great Falls Voyagers where he compiled a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings pitched. He missed all of 2015 due to injury. In 2016, he pitched for the Arizona League White Sox, Great Falls, and Winston-Salem Dash where he was a combined 1–2 with a 4.86 ERA in 15 relief appearances between the two teams. He began 2017 with Winston-Salem, was promoted to the Birmingham Barons in May, and was promoted to the Charlotte Knights in July.
Chicago selected Bummer's contract on July 27, 2017, and he made his Major League debut that same night against the Chicago Cubs, striking out the first batter he faced, Anthony Rizzo. In 49 innings pitched between Winston-Salem, Birmingham and Charlotte prior to his call up, he was 1–5 with a 3.31 ERA. Bummer spent the remainder of 2017 with the White Sox, compiling a 1–3 record and 4.50 ERA in 30 relief appearances. In 2018, Bummer made 37 appearances, collecting an ERA of 4.26 in 31+2⁄3 innings. The following season, he improved dramatically, making 58 appearances while registering an ERA of 2.13 in 67+1⁄3 innings and striking out 60. The White Sox signed him a five-year $16 million contract.
In 2020, Bummer only appeared in only nine games due to a left biceps strain that kept him out for a majority of the season. He was able to return for the final week of the season and was added to the White Sox' 2020 postseason roster. He appeared in two games in the 2020 American League Wild Card Series, not allowing a run in 1+1⁄3 innings combined during Chicago's 2–1 series loss to the Oakland Athletics.
In 2021, Bummer appeared in 62 games with an ERA of 3.51 in 56.1 innings while striking out 75 batters as the White Sox made the postseason. Bummer appeared in three games in the 2021 American League Division Series against the Houston Astros posting a 8.10 ERA in 3+1⁄3 giving up 5 hits and 3 runs all earned as the White Sox lost in four games. In 2022, Bummer appeared in only 32 games after dealing with a knee injury that kept him out for three months from June to September. He posted an ERA of 2.36 in those 32 games while pitching in 26+2⁄3 innings and striking out 30 batters.
Atlanta Braves
On November 16, 2023, the White Sox traded Bummer to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Michael Soroka, Jared Shuster, Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake and Riley Gowens. In November 2024, Bummer and the Braves agreed to a restructured contract, guaranteeing Bummer $3.5 million for the 2025 season and $9.5 million in 2026.
Personal life
Bummer earned his bachelor's degree in finance from Nebraska in December 2016. Bummer and his wife, Amber, married in 2018. They had their first child, a daughter, in February 2021.