Reynaldo Lopez is set to rejoin the Braves’ rotation on Wednesday, with manager Walt Weiss saying he’ll start against the Rays after coming off the 15-day injured list. Lopez hasn’t pitched since July 26, when left knee inflammation sent him to the shelf for what will now be a six-week absence.
It’s been a steady bounce-back season for Lopez after injuries limited him to just one game in 2025. He has posted a 3.64 ERA across 71 2/3 innings and has done a strong job keeping hitters from squaring him up, even though his 21.6% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate both sit below league average.
Atlanta opened the season with Lopez in the rotation, then shifted him to the bullpen in late April after a couple of rough outings. That move paid off for a while: Lopez worked to a 3.27 ERA over 22 relief innings before returning to starting on June 26, then turned in a 3.86 ERA over six starts and 28 innings before the injury.
The timing of the move back into the rotation is practical as much as anything else. The Braves are in the middle of a brutal stretch of 22 games in 23 days, with the only off-day in that run coming on September 3.
They won’t get another break until September 17, so Lopez gives them a way to keep a six-man rotation intact and manage workloads with October approaching. That group includes Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, Grant Holmes, Martin Perez, and AJ Smith-Shawver.
Bryce Elder is the one pushed aside for now, though his situation sounds temporary. Weiss said Elder will move to the bullpen while he works through a minor knee issue, and he hasn’t pitched since August 31.
The injury does not appear serious enough to send him to the injured list. “ With all the starters that we have, we’re trying to give him a bit of an extended break….
There was a big part of the season where he was one of our best starters. We want to get him back to that,” Weiss said.
Atlanta’s rotation has dealt with injuries along the way, but the overall numbers still look strong. Braves starters own a 3.72 ERA, which ranks sixth in baseball, and the group has given them the kind of depth that matters this time of year.
Sale has been rolling at a Cy Young-caliber level, Mahle has brought a 1.24 ERA since being acquired by the Giants from the trade deadline, and the rest of the staff has provided at least solid innings. Even after losing to the Phillies on Tuesday, the Braves still lead the NL East by four games and remain in the chase for a first-round playoff bye.
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Braves Finally Made A Bryce Elder Change Fans Saw Coming
Bryce Elders season has reached the point where the Braves had to make a practical adjustment. Atlanta announced that Elder will move temporarily to the bullpen, a response to a stretch of uneven performance and the nagging knee pain that has been following him. For a team still trying to stabilize its rotation, it was the kind of move fans had been expecting for a while, even if it came later than many thought it would.
AJ Smith-Shawver, Reynaldo Lpez and Martn Prez are lined up to start the upcoming series against the Rays, giving Atlanta a different look for the moment. The Braves have framed Elders move as temporary, and there is still a path for him to return to the rotation later in the month, possibly during the series against the Cubs in mid-September, which keeps this from sounding like a permanent demotion just yet. [Read more 🡒]
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For Atlanta, that kind of edge is part of what makes Acua so compelling. For Philadelphia, it has only sharpened the feeling that he is becoming the kind of opponent their fan base loves to hate, the sort of player who can turn a routine divisional matchup into something far more personal. And in a rivalry built on emotion and investment, that sort of performance seems likely to keep the tension high every time these teams meet. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face One Big Decision In Chance To Make Statement Vs Phillies
A crucial matchup with Philadelphia puts Atlanta in a spot where every lineup choice and pitching move carries extra weight. Grant Holmes is set to start for the Braves, and his recent results have been uneven, which makes this one feel like more than just another turn through the rotation. On the other side, Jess Luzardo gets the ball for the Phillies, and he has not faced Atlanta this season, adding another layer of unfamiliarity to a game that already has significant standings implications.
For the Braves, the bigger question is how aggressively they manage the middle innings if Holmes runs into trouble, especially with the series context raising the stakes. Atlanta will also be weighing specific matchup advantages in the lineup as it tries to generate enough offense against Luzardo and avoid letting a winnable game slip away. With the division picture still very much in play, this is the kind of night where a single strategic call could matter almost as much as the box score. [Read more 🡒]