The Braves bolstered their outfield mix by acquiring Lane Thomas from the Royals yesterday, though injuries to their starting pitchers may warrant further upgrades on that front before tomorrow’s 5pm Central deadline. The team announced this morning that right-hander Reynaldo López has been placed on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation, retroactive to July 30th. Fellow righty JR Ritchie has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to start today’s game against the Nationals.
López was scratched from his start yesterday after experiencing the knee inflammation during his pregame warmups. The Braves turned to Martín Pérez, who responded with six strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. López for an MRI after being scratched, though the results of that test still aren’t known, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The details of his injury and timeline for recovery should be known in a few days.
The 32-year-old López was used out of the bullpen from late April to late June, but he’s made six starts since June 26th. In 28 innings in that span, he has a 3.86 ERA with solid strikeout and walk numbers. Adding in his relief appearances, López sports a 3.64 ERA, a 21.6% strikeout rate, and a 9.5% walk rate in 71 2/3 innings this year. Those aren’t quite the dominant numbers he posted in 2024 (1.99 ERA in 135 2/3 innings), but they’re more than enough for a back-end starter.
The injury to López leaves the Braves with Bryce Elder, Pérez, and Ritchie behind Chris Sale and Grant Holmes. Sale is dominating as expected, posting a 2.08 ERA that ranks second in the National League behind the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski. Holmes, Elder, and Pérez all have ERAs under 4.00 in 90 innings or more, though they’re hardly dominant in terms of strikeout stuff. That’s particularly true of Holmes, who’s following up an above-average 25.0% strikeout rate last year with a below-average 19.6% mark in 2026. He and Elder are also struggling with the long ball while benefitting from low averages on balls in play.
In its current makeup, the group lacks a clear No. 2 starter behind Sale for a playoff series. López wouldn’t have been the answer there, but his injury nonetheless subtracts from the team’s depth and could increase their urgency to add a starter before the deadline. Ritchie was the No. 35 overall draft pick in 2022, but he’s shown mixed results in his debut campaign. Bailey Falter, acquired from the Royals alongside Thomas, has a 3.35 ERA at Triple-A this year but hasn’t appeared much in the majors owing to left elbow inflammation and an outright in June. He’s a depth option rather than a difference-maker.
Spencer Strider might have slotted in behind Sale if he were healthy, but he continues to face a length absence. Per Bowman, Strider is unlikely to return this season, and his locker was reportedly cleared out during the Braves’ last homestand. Bowman also noted that righty Spencer Schwellenbach might return in September, while Hurston Waldrep, who exited a Triple-A start a couple weeks ago with right arm discomfort, is going for a second opinion.
Strider went down for right elbow inflammation on June 13th and was transferred to the 60-day IL four days later. He was cleared for ligament damage and avoided surgery, though he still hasn’t begun a rehab assignment despite an initial four-week timeline for resuming throwing. Strider struggled in eight starts before his injury, posting a 5.31 ERA in 39 innings while walking an uncharacteristically high 12.1% of hitters. With him potentially done for the season, perhaps the Braves will more aggressively pursue a trade for Casey Mize or Freddy Peralta, with whom they’ve recently been connected.
On the offensive side of things, Bowman notes that infielder Ha-Seong Kim‘s rehab assignment with Gwinnett has concluded. The Braves are expected to activate him shortly. Jim Jarvis, who has filled in during Kim’s current IL stint, will remain the primary shortstop going forward. That leaves Kim ticketed for a backup infield role, according to Bowman.
Kim signed a one-year, $20MM deal with Atlanta this offseason. He injured his hand after falling on some ice a month later, not debuting until May 12th. He’s taken just 82 plate appearances this season and batted a dreadful .068/.171/.068 before returning to the IL in early July for a right middle finger laceration. Jarvis has done well in his absence, batting .278/.333/.417 with a 107 wRC+ in 81 PA since July 2nd. Nonetheless, the club is expected to pursue a shortstop on the trade market, so between that and Jarvis’ presence, Kim won’t have many opportunities to re-establish himself before he becomes a free agent this offseason.
Photo courtesy of Lexi Thompson, Imagn Images
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