Reynaldo López will start for the Braves on Friday in their series opener at Oracle Park. It’ll be his first start since April 21, as Atlanta has used him out of the bullpen for the last two months.
López told reporters (including Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that he expects to throw three innings and roughly 60 pitches. The Braves aren’t going to have him log a traditional start after a couple months working mostly two-inning stints. That could be a stepping stone towards a build back to a regular rotation role, as skipper Walt Weiss left the door open to plugging López back into the starting five beyond this appearance.
Atlanta’s rotation depth has again been tested by the most recent injury to Spencer Strider. They brought JR Ritchie back up from Triple-A Gwinnett to take the ball a few times. He allowed 10 runs in as many innings over his past two starts, continuing to struggle with his efficiency. The Braves optioned him back to Triple-A this morning. He’ll be down for at least 15 days unless another pitcher suffers an injury.
Hurston Waldrep would be the primary alternative. The former first-rounder has yet to pitch in MLB this year after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow during Spring Training. The Braves reinstated him from the injured list a couple weeks ago but have kept him in Gwinnett on an optional assignment. They’d presumably prefer not to rush Waldrep back to the big league level as he continues building up.
López was an All-Star starter in 2024 when he posted a sub-2.00 ERA across 25 outings. He only made one appearance last year before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. López’s velocity was down this spring. The stuff rebounded after Opening Day and he pitched pretty well over his first three starts. His next two outings were not good, leading the Braves to go to the bullpen move after he allowed five hits and three walks while only completing one inning against the Nationals in late April.
The 32-year-old has a 3.27 ERA across 22 innings out of the bullpen. His 20.2% strikeout rate and near-11% walk percentage are less encouraging. Starting pitching figures to be a priority for the front office as the deadline approaches, even as they’re hopeful of getting Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach back late in the season.
