Forgotten Guardians pitcher escalates wild Braves-Angels brawl with dangerous move

For one month at the end of the 2023 season, Reynaldo López was lights out at the back of the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen. 

While that production didn’t correspond with a ton of success for the Guardians, he was able to use that performance as a springboard for another opportunity with the Atlanta Braves that led to him blossoming into an All-Star starting pitcher. 

His pathway to become an All-Star in 2026 likely took a huge hit Tuesday night when he was involved in a benches-clearing brawl against the Los Angeles Angels that should result in him receiving some kind of suspension. 

The brawl started after López threw a pitch up and in to Jorge Soler and ended with both players throwing a bevy of punches at each other while López was still holding a baseball in his hand. 

Former Guardian Reynaldo López staring down suspension after Braves-Angels brawl 

While López’s pitch didn’t hit Soler, the hulking slugger took obvious exception after he had homered in his first at-bat and been hit by a pitch in his second. 

After López’s 97 mile per hour throw hit the backstop (which allowed for Nolan Schanuel to head to second base), both López and Soler stared at each other as everyone settled in for the next play. 

But then Soler took a couple steps toward the mound before breaking into a full-on sprint while throwing punches toward López, who countered with a few of his own while holding the baseball that was thrown back to him in his hand. 

While neither player connected on anything serious, both benches cleared and plenty of players assumed the default “hold me back” position. 

After the game, Soler said that he charged the mound because he “didn’t like” the response that López gave when Soler asked if everything was okay. It seems like there’s no love lost between the two former teammates (they both played for the Braves in 2024). 

A potential suspension for López would be a huge blow considering he’s still working his way back from injury and the Braves are still trying to piece their rotation back together. 

López only made one start last season before undergoing season-ending arthroscopic shoulder surgery. He was only three starts into his 2026 season before Tuesday’s brawl. 

Meanwhile, the Braves have been scrambling to fill their rotation thanks to injuries to Spencer Strider, Hurston Waldrep, AJ Smith-Shawver and Spencer Schwellenbach. 

López’s journey to become a mainstay in Atlanta’s rotation started thanks to the 11 scoreless innings he threw for the Guardians in 2023, but it hit a roadblock thanks to his actions in Anaheim.