BOSTON, MA – MAY 28: Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday, May 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The lineup isn’t the only place where Walt Weiss and the Atlanta Braves are now throwing throwing things at the wall and trying to figure out what sticks during this rough patch. The rotation has been the heart of the issue, as even when the Braves do score runs, their starters have gotten hit too hard on a somewhat regular basis while struggling in recent times.
As such, there’s also room in the rotation after JR Ritchie got sent down to Triple-A earlier today. As such, Reynaldo López will now be getting another chance in the rotation. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported the news on social media.
Reynaldo Lopez just gone done playing long toss and will now throw a side session. He’ll start Friday’s series opener in San Francisco. Elder is going Saturday and Sale on Sunday.— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 24, 2026
López last pitched on this past Sunday, which is when he provided three innings of relief in what ended up being a loss for the Braves. In fact, this’ll be López’s first start since April 21, which is when he got blown up for four runs on five hits and three walks in just one inning of work against the Washington Nationals.
Ever since then, López has been serving as a reliever where he’s actually been pretty solid. Ever since moving to the ‘pen on a full-time basis, López has thrown 22 innings and produced an ERA of 3.27 (78 ERA-) and a FIP of 3.92 (96 FIP-) — numbers that aren’t spectacular but would be sorely needed for the rotation if he can translate that into starts.
Nine of López’s 13 starts saw him go further than just one inning and as.I mentioned earlier, he actually went three innings not too long ago. He’ll be on a somewhat normal cycle of rest ahead of this start and it’s clear that the Braves are hoping that he’ll be able to give them something solid against the Giants. Assuming he does well (or well enough), he’ll likely be slotting into the rotation since the Braves are in pretty dire need of rotation help at the moment. Hopefully he’ll be able to harness what he found during the 2024 season where he produced the best year of his career as a starter. Let’s see what happens with this one.