The Atlanta Braves have activated Dominican starting pitcher Reynaldo López from the injury list with right shoulder inflammation. His return comes at a crucial time as the Braves seek to clinch the postseason. Lopez will start against the Kansas City Royals, who claimed yesterday’s final AL wild card spot. They have not made it to the postseason since 2015. Last season, the Braves earned the top record in MLB while making their sixth consecutive postseason appearance. Now, the Braves are looking to continue the momentum from last season and make their seventh successive appearance in the postseason. With the Braves activating López, right-hander John Brebbia has been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The #Braves today reinstated RHP Reynaldo López from the injured list and optioned RHP John Brebbia to Triple-A Gwinnett.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 28, 2024
Braves Activate All-Star Pitcher Amid Significant Postseason Push
The Impact López Provides Braves
López has been on the IL twice this season. He was first on the IL on July 28th with a forearm injury. Then, on September 10th was placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation. The 30-year-old has an 8-5 record with a 1.15 WHIP, 137 punchouts, and a 2.03 ERA this season. López is one of the Braves top starters this season and has returned at a significant time. The veteran has experience as a starter and pitching in the bullpen. His role has transitioned from a reliever to a starter, which has provided him with more knowledge. He brings versatility, which makes him much more valuable to the Braves. His experience has permitted him to handle high-leverage situations.
If López can sustain the Royals’ offense and put zeros on the scoreboard, he can lower his ERA to under 2.00. Since he’s just returning from the IL, he will likely have a limited pitch workload of between four and five innings. He, without question, has the capability not to surrender any runs. López this season, in his first All-Star appearance, he pitched a scoreless outing and has pitched scoreless outings in his career before. Earlier in the season, when López was asked what the key to his success was, he claimed that it all had to do with his mentality. Pitching is one thing, but mindset and mental game are different. When a pitcher or player lacks confidence, it plays a significant role. This is something we have seen from pitcher Alek Manoah. His mental game got in the way of his success, and he wasn’t able to return to his 2022 Cy Young contention.
Main Photo Credits: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
