Atlanta Braves' Reynaldo Lopez Continues Progression Toward Return to Mound

Reynaldo Lopez is inching closer to re-joining the Atlanta Braves starting rotation.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez made further progress in his return to the mound. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez continues his progression toward a return to the mound. The day after playing catch, he moved up to throwing long tosses on Saturday. This is part of a planned progression. 

Manager Brian Snitker said he hadn’t heard a word about how it went. However, he took that as a good sign. They weren’t rushing to inform him that something was wrong. 

Reynaldo López did long toss today. Brian Snitker hadn't heard anything about it, which he took as a sign that everything went well.

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) September 21, 2024

Lopez has been out since Sept. 10 when he exited his start against the Washington Nationals after one inning. It would be revealed later he had right shoulder inflammation.

He is eligible to return from the 15-Day Injured List on Sept. 26. This would give him a chance to get one more start during the regular season. By that time, the Braves will have one game left in their home series with the New York Mets and one final series against the Kansas City Royals. 

Should the Braves find their way into the postseason, he would be back just in time. 

If not, Braves fans will still get to see plenty of Lopez going forward. He’s still signed for the next two seasons. Better yet, he's on a team-friendly $10 million a year.  

The 30-year-old righty’s breakout season has made him one of the more genius signings from the offseason. 

In 24 starts this season, Lopez has a 2.03 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 128 2/3 innings pitched. He also has an ERA+ of 205. Lopez has thrown his most innings since 2019 this season.  

Lopez has spent time on the Injured List twice this season. He went on the IL for the first time in early August due to right forearm inflammation. The Braves originally tried to avoid the Injured List entirely that first time around but to no avail. This time, he was ruled out very quickly.