The beloved middle reliever has made a career out of thriving with the Braves, leaving for a new team, nose-diving and then returning as a dependable bullpen presence.

The division put three teams into the postseason last year, and all three — the Phillies, Braves and Mets — return with the same aspirations.

A version of this article originally ran in the AJC’s Sports Daily newsletter.

Entering spring training, one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Braves had to do with Ian Anderson’s comeback attempt and whether he could return to pre-Tommy John form with the team he helped so much in previous postseasons.

One of baseball’s best running jokes just gained more steam.