ATLANTA — Reynaldo López’s chances of being a playoff starter for the Atlanta Braves increased on the eve of his first start since he landed on the injured list over a month ago with left knee inflammation. On Wednesday night, the right-hander had the perfect test to prove he was worthy.
But 4 2/3 innings later against the Tampa Bay Rays, who have the best record and OPS in the American League, López exited the game after giving up six earned runs on seven hits in the Braves’ 7-2 loss. The Braves’ lead in the National League East dropped to three games after the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Houston Astros 11-7.
After Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle and, more recently, Grant Holmes, the Braves — with 16 games remaining in the regular season — don’t have a clear candidate if they need a fourth postseason starter. And with Bryce Elder going on the IL after left knee surgery, Martín Perez getting lit up against the Phillies on Saturday and AJ Smith-Shawver pitching inconsistently since his recall, López’s shaky outing adds to the uncertainty.
“We’ve got six starters right now,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “Those are ongoing conversations with how we’re going to move forward. (We) don’t have anything after the (Phillies) series (this weekend).”
Of López’s 80 pitches, 33 were balls, often leading him to pitch behind in the count against a Rays team that has relied on small ball for productivity.
It doesn’t help, either, that opponents are hitting nearly .300 against his four-seamer this season, his highest rate allowed on any of his pitches. He tried to get hitters to swing-and-miss on his slider, which he threw nearly as much as his fastball, but the Rays didn’t budge, forcing López to work from behind.
Drake Baldwin led off the fourth inning with a home run, but that just cut the Rays’ lead to five. (Brett Davis / Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
“That’s the name of the game,” Weiss said. “I mean, all these guys got good stuff, but you got to have count leverage for the most part. It’s a rough ride if you don’t.”
It’s especially frustrating because he and the Braves know how stellar López can be as a starter.
In his first season with the Braves, in 2024, López made his only All-Star appearance, finishing with a 1.99 ERA. His 5.1 WAR was the club’s second best behind Sale’s. His performance was more remarkable given that he was in the bullpen for the three years before Atlanta took a chance on him as a starter, something López wasn’t seeking from a team during free agency.
In 2025, he was looking to build off his best year, but he had arthroscopic shoulder surgery after one start, wiping out his season.
When López returned this season, he began in the rotation. After five starts — getting three outs on 58 pitches against the Washington Nationals on April 21 in the last of them — he was moved to the bullpen to work on his flaws.
After injuries and inconsistencies in the starting rotation, López returned as a starter on June 26. In six starts, López had a 3.86 ERA in 28 innings. He allowed one or zero runs in four of those starts, sprinkled in with back-to-back outings allowing four or more runs.
“With that being my first time being out for a full year is a bit tough,” López said in Spanish. “You lose your mechanics and you lose the feel for your arm. You lose everything.”
The bad start and adversity from major surgery don’t mean all hope is lost for López’s impact in the postseason.
Pitchers who are typically starters can play a big postseason role in the bullpen, whether to cover a short start or enter in high-leverage situations. If López can get ahead in counts, he’ll be a reliable arm. If he doesn’t, he might not be on the postseason roster.
It remains unknown whether the Braves will continue to operate on a six-man rotation, but as López has shown, he will be ready to contribute in whatever role they feel is best for him.
“This year has been a roller coaster with the way things have been going this season,” López said through team interpreter Franco García. “Hopefully we can just get it right going into the postseason and hopefully just get going.”