Atlanta Braves right-handed starter Reynaldo Lopez landed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, ending his 2026 regular season. In a corresponding move, the Braves recalled right-hander JR Ritchie from Triple-A Gwinnett. Lopez notably missed nearly the entire 2025 season after suffering a shoulder injury, and underwent season-ending surgery after just one start.
The right-hander is in his 11th season as a big leaguer, though didn't spend the whole season with the team due to a left knee injury he suffered in August. Over the course of the season, he has 26 appearances under his belt — half of which came as starts. Through 79.1 innings this year, Lopez had a 4.54 ERA with 73 strikeouts.
An All-Star in 2024, Lopez was a key part of the rotation this year — especially down the stretch with Bryce Elder also set to miss the remainder of the regular season after undergoing knee surgery. Despite the long list of injuries the Braves have among their starters, they still have a cohesive rotation to field come the postseason. Former Cy Young winner Chris Sale and likely NL runner-up this season Chris Sale is sure to lead the rotation come the postseason, and Tyler Mahle and Grant Holmes will certainly join him.
The final spot in the four-man group come the postseason likely belongs to Martin Perez, who has a 3.08 ERA through 28 appearances for the Braves this season. That leaves AJ Smith-Shawver as the odd man out of their current rotation, and his status for the postseason isn't yet clear given his struggles for the Braves through his six appearances for the team so far this season. That rotation will do more than enough for the probable NL East victors, though they'll have to trudge through the Wild Card round should their record remain worse than the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers.
If they stay as the No. 3 seed, they could face any one of the three teams in a Wild Card spot at the moment, as they're only separated by 1.5 games. The red-hot San Diego Padres own the final spot in the postseason currently, though the Philadelphia Phillies are just one game ahead of them. The Cubs currently lead the Wild Card charge, but are only 1.5 games separated from the Padres.
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