Former Guardians reliever's latest injury burns Braves at worst possible time 

In September 2023, Reynaldo López pitched 11 scoreless innings out of the Guardians’ bullpen. 

It may not have meant much for the Guardians since they ended up finishing the season 11 games out of a postseason spot, that showing helped López earn a three-year, $26 million contract with the Braves so he could be an impact pitcher for them in the postseason. 

That has yet to happen, and it’s not going to happen any time soon. 

On Monday, the Braves placed López on the 15-day injured list with shoulder discomfort that is all but going to end his season. 

Although López rewarded the Braves with a fantastic 2024 season, he’s pitched just 84 1/3 innings in the time since due to a variety of injuries.

Even though the Braves have all but wrapped up a postseason berth, López’s injury is a big blow to their pitching depth that could lead to Atlanta having a short stay in the postseason. 

The Braves pitching staff is even thinner thanks to Reynaldo López's injury

López has had quite a season. He started the season pitching well in Atlanta’s rotation, but got suspended for his involvement in a benches-clearing brawl before being moved to the bullpen. 

He got re-added to the starting rotation in July and made five starts before going on the injured list with left knee inflammation. He returned from that stint on the injured list at the start of September and made two starts before his recent IL placement. 

López’s stint is just another injury in a Braves season that featured a dizzying amount of pitchining injuries for a team that has one of the best records in baseball. 

Chris Sale has led the way with a Cy Young-worthy season (2.18 ERA in 157 innings) and Grant Holmes has been a solid No. 2, but the rest of their rotation has been a house of cards. 

Bryce Elder was a part of the picture, but he just underwent surgery to remove bone fragments from his right knee and will be out for the foreseeable future. 

Right now, the Braves would roll out with a postseason rotation consisting of Sale, Holmes and some combination of Tyler Mahle and Martín Pérez. López would have been a valuable piece to that picture as a swingman, but his latest injury all but confirms it’s going to be another lost postseason for him. 

Although López’s injury won’t have an impact on the Guardians’ postseason unless the two teams face off in the World Series, it will have a minor impact this weekend thanks to Atlanta’s series against the Astros, who are jockeying with the Rangers for the American League West lead. 

The team that misses out on that title is going to be jockeying at the Guardians’ heels in the Wild Card race, so anything that weakens either of those teams is a win for Cleveland. 

Unfortunately for the Guardians, López isn’t going to be a part of that series. 

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