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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 7: Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves delivers to the plate in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 7, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves were the first team to reach the 20-win plateau on Sunday with a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
With a day off on Monday, the Braves will welcome the Detroit Tigers into town starting on Tuesday, which should be an exciting series. Considering the Braves are off to such a good start, that allows the coaching staff more luxury with mixing and matching their pitching staff to find the best fit for each arm. Late Sunday afternoon, Braves reporter Mark Bowman made an indication that starter Reynaldo Lopez will be utilized differently for the time being.
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Reynaldo Lopez to be Used in Bullpen To Fix Mechanical Issues
GettyANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 7: Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves delivers to the plate in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 7, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Braves manager Walt Weiss told reporters after Sunday’s game that Reynaldo Lopez will be temporarily moved to the bullpen to work on mechanical issues.
After coming into the season with several injuries to the starting staff, Braves starting pitching has emerged as a strength, and after Spencer Strider’s last rehab start (which was a stellar one), he look to rejoin the rotation soon.
Unfortunately, that means pushing a current arm out of the fold, and that seems to be Lopez for now. Reynaldo Lopez got off to a very solid start for Atlanta this season, but his last three starts have been concerning. In his last start against the Nationals, Lopez was unable to get out of the second inning. That led to the Braves coaching staff seeing something wrong with his mechanics, and this is where they will work to fix it. Weiss noted that Lopez needs to ‘iron some things out’.
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Reynaldo Lopez’s Time with Atlanta
GettySAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 28: Reynaldo Lopez #40 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park on March 28, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Reynaldo Lopez joined the Braves before the 2024 season and earned his first All-Star appearance with a phenomenal campaign. Over 25 starts and 135+ innings that season, Lopez boasted a 1.99 ERA with 148 strikeouts.
However, a shoulder issue left him sidelined for a majority of the 2025 campaign, and that led to some skepticism about his fastball velocity and overall pitching effectiveness. He made just one start in 2025.
Fast forward to 2026, and Lopez has made five starts this season (21.2 innings pitched) and given up nine earned runs (four home runs) with 20 strikeouts.
A move to the bullpen will likely help, but it will be interesting to see how Walt Weiss utilizes him going forward, and if Lopez’s role on this Braves team will be strictly from the bullpen.
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