After having their rotation depth tested by injuries in Spring Training, the Braves now find themselves in the position of having enough arms to allow themselves to tinker with the starting five. With Spencer Strider close to a return to the rotation, Reynaldo Lopez is being moved to the bullpen, as manager Walt Weiss told reporters (including Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) on Sunday.
Lopez’s last start saw him fail to get out of the second inning, as he allowed four earned runs over an inning plus two batters in the Braves’ 11-4 loss to the Nationals last Tuesday. In the aftermath of that tough outing, the decision was made to give Lopez some time to “iron some things out” as a reliever, as Weiss put it.
Lopez is “working through some things, delivery-wise, that type of thing, and he’s getting there,” Weiss said. “And when he’s right, he’s one of our best starters. He was our No. 2 coming out of camp, even with some of the issues he had at the end of Spring Training. We see him as a starter long term, but right now…he’s going to help us out of the pen in the short term.”
The situation is fluid, as Weiss admitted that “it’s series to series with the rotation right now.” Martin Perez, JR Ritchie, and Bryce Elder are lined up to start during the three-game series with the Tigers that begins on Tuesday. Grant Holmes will likely go on Friday against the Rockies and Chris Sale will start Saturday or Sunday, depending on Strider’s readiness.
Strider has been on the 15-day injured list all season recovering from an oblique strain, but he threw 82 pitches in his third rehab start today. Assuming no setbacks, Strider should be able to pitch during one of those two games next weekend in Denver.
Pretty much everything has been clicking for an Atlanta team that has a league-best 20-9 record. The offense, bullpen, and starting rotation have all been rolling, even if the rotation’s collective 3.12 ERA is undermined by some shakier secondary metrics. While it remains to be seen how long the starters can keep it going or how long a leash the Braves may give a rookie like Ritchie or a veteran like Perez (who has already been released and then re-signed to a new minor league deal, and re-selected to the active roster).
This leaves Lopez as an excess arm, even though Lopez’s 3.74 ERA is respectable and he is doing a good job of limiting hard contact. The righty’s 21.1% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate are both below average, however, and his four-seamer’s average velocity is 93.9mph — well below the 95.5mph that Lopez averaged in 2024.
That dominant 2024 campaign saw Lopez post a 1.99 ERA over 135 2/3 innings, as Atlanta’s decision to move Lopez back into a starting role paid big dividends. The end of that breakout year saw Lopez hampered by forearm and shoulder problems, which proved to be a harbinger for a 2025 season that saw Lopez make just a single start. The right-hander underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder following that lone outing, and his rehab was shut down late in the year since Lopez didn’t have enough time to build his arm back up to a starter’s workload.
It isn’t surprising that Lopez needs to shake off some rust after his long layoff, even if he looked pretty good over his first three starts of the year. Having Lopez available out of the pen to throw multiple innings gives the Braves some cover if any of their starters are chased early, and lower-leverage work will hopefully allow Lopez to solve his mechanical issues.
Lol not two weeks ago was that poll on mlbtr about which team was more impacted by the injuries they had. I voted that the Braves would be most impacted. The Braves : “Hold my beer.”
Thats not what “hold my beer” means but kudos in being right I guess?
Use to work with a lady who didn’t understand how the “Keep calm and ____ on” thing worked, and for someone’s birthday she made a sign that said “keep calm and happy birthday!” And I’m like, who’s gonna tell her?
Now that’s funny.
If there is a team that did something reckless it was the Mets assembling a very expensive roster with a couple guys playing completely new positions.
Hold me beer would have worked if the Braves would have been impacted but another team was impacted way more or something like that
The Braves have had a lot of injuries, but they haven’t exactly been “affected” much.
I like this move. The Braves bullpen has four reliable, lock-down relievers – Iglesias, R. Suarez, Lee and Kinley. Bummer is decent, while Payamps and the others are unreliable. Once Iglesias and Strider are back, the Braves can make Perez the long man, keep Lopez in the bullpen and then virtually the entire bullpen will be reliable. The rotation would be Sale, Strider, Elder, Holmes and Ritchie. Solid all the way through and through. And Fuentes waiting in the wings.
idk if I’d even classify Bummer as decent.
I’d only say that to a team’s GM in need of a southpaw RP and wouldn’t mind paying a few million for him.
I don’t disagree, but I feel like once those guys are fully back, Perez and/or Ritchie might be back on the bus to Gwinnett, at least for a little while.
I doubt Perez would make it through waivers a second time.
Calling Kinley a lock down reliever is very generous
Look at his stats as a Brave. He has been pretty dominiate.
LOL. Kinley has a 1.38 ERA.
Losing Perez to another team is not something I would lose any sleep over as a Braves fan.
Weiss was talking him up how important Perez is. I am not sure if they will dfa him again.
Lopez isn’t starting again unless Perez and/or Ritchie can’t do a decent job. He’s had a lot of time to work on things since his surgery. He had about a full season off already.
Two bad starts and we’re saying this? He’s better than Lopez and more proven than Ritchie. I bet he starts again this year.
Probably. But Lopez is a more dangerous weapon in the bullpen. And Waldrep and Schwellenbach will probably be back by the All Star Break or earlier, then AJ Smith Shawver in the 2nd half. Lopez going back to the ‘pen shouldn’t be considered a demotion, but a return to the role that best fits who he is as a pitcher.
I have seen several comments on various sites suggesting that AJSS will return later this year, I do not seeing it happening.
If everything goes well maybe he could be a late season bullpen addition. I think the more likely scenario is they take their time with him so he is an option for the starting rotation next season.
Maybe they do. But if the situation arises where they need him to come back, he’ll be available. Early August would be 14 months since his surgery. Expecting him to be ready by August or September certainly isn’t unreasonable.
I would guess Strider, Lopez, and JR will be on short leashes all season. Schwelly too, when he returns. Resuming a full workload after arm troubles (or being a rookie) is that a wise strategy, though it could work. Wouldn’t count on it, though.
I don’t really think Strider fully falls into that group. He was back last year and was managed then. This new injury isn’t arm, and they have been afforded the time to ramp him up slowly in his rehab. He might be limited for the first 405 starts, but I don’t see him sitting down the rest of the year.
Ritchie will likely come up with a Dodgers-esque, flu, cramp, back spasm, mental fatigue or some other nonsense where they get him a 10-day stay or two to slow down the innings just in case he is needed for the playoffs. MLBPA would be against it if the players weren’t getting paid. And the Dodgers just started it a couple years back, but now most team engage in some way.