Braves' Reynaldo López Exits Tuesday's Start Against Nationals

The Atlanta Braves sustained yet another injury, this time to the starting pitching rotation.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López exited Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals after just one inning. The Athletic’s David O’Brien reported that López left the game because of right shoulder tightness.

In one inning pitched, he gave up a hit and struck out a batter. Jesse Chavez came in to relieve López, who had a notable dip in velocity before his exit.

Say the line, everyone: You can’t make this stuff up. 

This is the second time López has had to leave a game in the last couple months with an apparent injury. 

In late July, he exited the series finale against the New York Mets after three innings because of left forearm inflammation. 

Originally, he was not even supposed to miss a start. But then he ended up missing a month. It is unclear as of Tuesday night how long he could be out because of his shoulder ailment.

López made four starts before Tuesday’s outing since he returned from the injured list. In those starts, he had a 1.96 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 23 innings. He also held opposing hitters to a .200 batting average in that span. 

The injuries continue to pile up for the Braves, who are now seeing previously injured players who have come back healthy suffer new injuries. Second baseman Whit Merrifield has suffered two different injuries within the last week.

If López is out for a period of time, the Braves will have to scramble as they did in the middle of the summer to try and find a serviceable replacement starter.

Based on the track record from that time, Bryce Elder would be a likely candidate. He’s struggled with a 6.52 ERA in the majors but has looked better in his Triple-A starts as of late. 

Another potential option is Ian Anderson, who is on the exact same schedule as López, making a start for Gwinnett on Tuesday as well.