Atlanta’s pitching staff may be on the verge of getting a meaningful jolt.
Reynaldo Lopez is nearing a return from a knee injury, and according to Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the right-hander is scheduled to start a rehab assignment on Sunday at Triple-A. That marks an important step for the veteran, who is trying to get back to the Braves as soon as possible.
Lopez has been a steady presence for Atlanta this season, and his value goes beyond just one role. In 24 appearances, he has made 11 starts while also working out of the bullpen, giving the Braves a flexible arm they can use in multiple ways. He’s posted a 3.64 ERA with 66 strikeouts over that stretch.
For a team that can plug a veteran into both the rotation and relief mix, that kind of versatility matters. If his rehab goes smoothly, Lopez could be back before long, though his status will continue to be tracked as updates come in.
Atlanta also enters the weekend on a better note after Thursday’s 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. That came after the Braves were swept in three games by the Minnesota Twins earlier in the week.
Now the challenge gets bigger. The Braves head to Milwaukee for a three-game set against the Brewers, who own MLB’s best record at 79-49. Atlanta sits at 75-53, so this series has the feel of a postseason preview.
The opener is set for Friday afternoon in Milwaukee at 4:10 PM ET.
In Other News...
Braves Bullpen Squeeze Could End A Veteran Relievers Atlanta Run
The Braves bullpen shuffle took another turn when Tyler Kinley was designated for assignment and then released after clearing waivers, a move driven by the clubs need to recall AJ Smith-Shawver and settle into a six-man rotation. For Atlanta, it was another reminder of how quickly roster math can change when pitching depth and workload management become part of the daily equation.
Kinleys departure leaves open a familiar question for a veteran reliever who spent time in Atlanta: whether the door is still open for a return, or whether another team will jump in first. A minor league deal with the Braves remains possible, but for now his next stop is unsettled, and the bullpen squeeze that pushed him out may not be the last roster decision tied to the rotation plan. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Are Paying For Offseason Mistakes In All The Wrong Spots
The Braves spent the winter trying to patch together a roster that already had a few pressure points, and the early returns have shown how thin the margin was. Atlanta did not add the kind of impact starting pitcher that can steady a staff over a long season, and the move to commit money to Ha-Seong Kim on a one-year deal has left the club trying to justify value in places where it needed cleaner answers. Add in the continued absence of a true right-handed outfield presence, and the roster construction starts to look less like a plan and more like a series of bets.
Those choices have become even more noticeable because the bullpen has not been able to cushion the mistakes. Injuries have complicated the relief mix, and the underperformance from multiple arms has left the Braves without much room to hide when games start tilting the wrong way. For a team built to contend, the frustration is not just what went wrong in the offseason, but how those misses are showing up in the exact spots where Atlanta needed stability the most. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Lineup Debate Is Putting Sean Murphy In The Spotlight
The Braves lineup choices have started to draw extra scrutiny, and Sean Murphy is right in the middle of it. Atlanta has leaned on Jim Jarvis at shortstop instead of Mauricio Dubon, while Murphys role has remained more limited than some around the club would prefer. For a lineup trying to squeeze out every bit of offense, those decisions have become part of the bigger conversation about how the Braves are deploying the roster.
Murphys track record is part of why the discussion keeps circling back to him. When healthy, he has shown the kind of production that makes him look like more than just a part-time catcher, and the argument for getting him into the lineup more often is hard to ignore. The question now is whether Atlanta keeps handling things this way, or whether the recent debate pushes the Braves toward a setup that better matches their offensive ceiling. [Read more 🡒]