The right-hander moves from the bullpen to the rotation on Friday to stabilize a depleted pitching staff.
The Atlanta Braves have spent much of the week trying to absorb the damage from a heavily taxed pitching staff.
Despite getting through five innings in San Diego on Tuesday, J.R. Ritchie's five-run second left the bullpen to pick up the slack in a game that stretched into extra innings. By the time the Braves were walked off, the workload issue was already front and center.
Then, less than a day later, the Braves made a move that seemed, on the surface, to ask even more from that same group.
Atlanta announced Wednesday that Reynaldo López will rejoin the rotation and start Friday’s series opener against the Giants, expected to be limited to around 60 pitches, which will make this his first start since April 21.
That kind of arrangement would normally raise eyebrows for a team trying to protect its bullpen, but the Braves are clearly thinking bigger picture.
Since Spencer Strider went on the injured list, the rotation has had trouble giving Atlanta anything close to steady production. Bryce Elder has been hit hard in recent weeks, Grant Holmes has battled command, and Ritchie’s struggles have only added to the instability. The recent slide has made those issues harder to ignore.
"We feel like he's in a good place right now," manager Walt Weiss said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. "We feel like maybe we need a little help in the rotation."
That comment may be the clearest explanation for why the Braves are making this move now.
López has spent the last two months working out of the bullpen after being removed from the rotation in late April. While the transition wasn't initially viewed as permanent, he gradually settled into a relief role and posted respectable results. López owns a 3.27 ERA across 22 innings since moving to the bullpen full-time.
However, Sunday's appearance against Milwaukee tipped Atlanta's plan. López worked three innings and threw 58 pitches, allowing just one hit and one unearned run. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.3 mph during the outing, nearly matching the velocity he carried while producing a 1.99 ERA as a starter in 2024.
That doesn't mean Friday will suddenly solve Atlanta's rotation concerns. López remains on a pitch count, and the Braves have yet to announce who will cover the innings behind him. The timing of the move has also raised understandable questions after a week in which bullpen availability became a storyline of its own.
Weiss acknowledged that balancing workloads remains part of the challenge.
"Over the course of the season, we're going to be protective of our arms, and there's going to be certain nights where you know guys aren't available," said Weiss, according to Bowman.
For now, the Braves seem willing to accept that risk. As taxing as another bullpen game could be, Atlanta's recent results suggest the greater concern is finding enough stability every fifth day. López may not be stretched out yet, but the Braves are betting he gives them a better chance to address that problem than continuing with the status quo.
