CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 14: Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday, September 14, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Lawrence Brown/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Monday night was a rough one for the Atlanta Braves as not only did they lose the game to the Cubs, they’ve also apparently lost one of their pitchers. It’s been a rough season injury-wise for Reynaldo López and it appears to have gotten even worse. According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, López will be heading to the IL.
Reynaldo Lopez will be going on the IL with right shoulder discomfort. He told the Braves tonight his shoulder has bothered him from time to time this year. He made just one start in 2025 before having shoulder surgery.— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 15, 2026
Yeah, that’s very concerning! The shoulder issue that cost Reynaldo López just about the entire 2025 season appears to have popped up on him again and now I’d say that it might be a longshot to see López going forward if that’s the case. López gave up five runs in three innings against the Cubs on Monday night and his velocity peaked at 94.6 mph. That’s a nearly a full tick lower than where it was at during his last healthy season in 2024.
When it comes to the replacement, it certainly looks like the Braves are just going to roll with what they’ve currently got in terms of starting pitching options. JR Ritchie will be starting on Wednesday and Bowman indicated that Ritchie will be staying around. This also means that AJ Smith-Shawver (who pitched in relief during tonight’s game) will also be sticking around to make starts, so that’ll likely be how the Braves get to the end of the regular season.
The Braves have already been handling the rotation on a series-by-series basis and now they have one less option to utilize going forward. We’ll see how the Braves figure this out and hopefully the prognosis for Reynaldo López isn’t as dour as it seems to be.