Reynaldo López's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (back) was pulled from his start early on Monday against the visiting Chicago Cubs due to back tightness. Before leaving, Lopez threw five scoreless innings with two hits allowed while walking two and striking out four to lower his season ERA to a sparkling 1.34. The 30-year-old did not get a decision in his latest strong performance before leaving early due to an injury. For now, fantasy managers should consider Lopez to be day-to-day, and the Braves currently don't think that his injury is serious enough to keep him from making his next scheduled start. Lopez has been a revelation for the Braves and for fantasy managers in deeper leagues that took a chance on him after he hadn't started a game since 2022 with the Chicago White Sox.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Marlins but pitched another great game, throwing seven strong innings while allowing just one run on three hits (one home run) and a 2:6 BB:K. That makes four straight quality starts to begin the season and the 30-year-old has stepped up big at a time when the Braves needed it after Spencer Strider was lost for the year and Max Fried got off to a rough start. The 30-year-old hasn't been a regular starter since 2019 when he made 33 starts for the Chicago White Sox, but he looks the part so far in 2024 with a 0.72 ERA (2.71 FIP), 0.88 WHIP, and a 17.4% K-BB% in 25 IP. His next start lines up Tuesday in Seattle, the team that currently has the highest amount of strikeouts per game this season.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez continued his hot start to the season with a victory on Tuesday versus the Houston Astros. Lopez tossed six innings and allowed four hits, no runs, one walk and struck out seven. Lopez has been a reclamation project for the Braves after spending the bulk of his career with the Chicago White Sox, who had him pitching out of the bullpen. So far, Lopez has earned an A+ and is 2-0 with a sparkling 0.50 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in three starts. Lopez should be rostered in all formats, not only due to his success early on, but the bevy of injuries to pitchers in general. Managers should consider that Lopez has not been a full-time starter since 2019 and it will be interesting to see how he handles a full workload as the season continues. The right-hander will look to keep things going versus a weak Miami Marlins offense on Tuesday.

The Atlanta Braves have rewarded Reynaldo Lopez with the fifth spot in the rotation, beating out Bryce Elder among others. Lopez, 30, has been a reliever for the past couple of seasons, but the Braves had big hopes that he could return to his original position as a starting pitcher and so far, so good. In the Grapefruit League, Lopez allowed four runs with six walks and 13 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. It has been a few seasons since he was a regular as a starting pitcher, but pitching for one of the best teams in the league, Lopez makes for an intriguing end of the draft flier.

The Atlanta Braves final rotation spot is currently down to Reynaldo Lopez and Bryce Elder, per MLB.com's Mark Bowman. AJ Smith-Shawver put forth an impressive spring but was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday. Lopez has looked excellent this spring, while Elder has yielded poor results. Elder put forth a decent 2023 season for the Braves over 31 starts, while Lopez hasn't made multiple starts in a season since 2021. Either way, whichever pitcher earns the spot will hold at least steaming appeal in fantasy leagues given the strong lineup behind them.