According to Atlanta Braves Insider Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Braves could be prepared to give the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation to right-hander Reynaldo Lopez at the start of the year.
Per Bowman:
There’s no doubt López could end up in Atlanta’s bullpen at some point, but the Braves believe with added experience, better game planning and a better defense behind him, he might be better than he was as a mid-4.00 ERA starter from 2018-19. His potential value as a productive innings eater could lead the Braves to decide it's best to use him as a starter at the start of the year, instead of trying to build his endurance to convert to a starter’s role during the season.
The 30-year-old Lopez came up as a starter, serving primarily in that role from his major league debut in 2016 until 2020. He made nine starts in 2021 vs. 11 relief appearances and then made 129 relief appearances vs. one start in 2022-2023.
He's also shown to be an effective reliever over the last two years, pitching to a 2.76 ERA in 2022 and a 3.27 in 2023. He is an eight-year major league veteran with the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians.
The Braves appear to have the top four in the rotation set with Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Charlie Morton and Max Fried.
In addition to Lopez, several other arms will be vying for that final rotation spot.
The Braves won 104 games and the National League East a season ago.
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